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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25062403">If You Don't Want Me, Set Me Free</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/batthegrinch/pseuds/batthegrinch'>batthegrinch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abusive Sibling Relationships, F/F, F/M, Healthy Relationships, Implied Smut, Light Smut, Love, M/M, Multi Chapter, Overprotective Parents, parents abuse children, young teenagers in age appropriate relationships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:27:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>55,560</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25062403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/batthegrinch/pseuds/batthegrinch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The aftermath of the incident at the Starcourt Mall.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dustin Henderson/Suzie, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Jopper - Relationship, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Lucas Sinclair's Parents are married happily, Neil Hargrove/Susan Hargrove, Past Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler - Relationship, Robin Buckley/Tammy Thompson, The Wheelers are still married??? for Some Reason?, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, elmax, hinted Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler, past Eleven/Mike Wheeler - Relationship, past Max Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, slowburn Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Early December, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first stranger things fic, I hope you enjoy!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two Russian guards walked down the dark corridor of the prison that they worked for. They took it slow, not moving as if they had a destination to get to in any timely fashion, taking time to stop and bang on the doors of some of the cells just to hear the prisoner inside of the walls scream. One guard tried to open a cell and the other slapped his arm away from the door and hissed, “No, not the freak. We’ve been instructed to get the <em>American</em>.”</p><p>They moved to the cell to the right of the one that they almost opened. A man stood in the farthest corner of the tiny space, not even flinching as the door slammed open, metal clanging against metal as the door hit the wall behind it. He was wearing a ratty prison uniform, an oversized t-shirt and loose sweatpants, both full of holes and dirt and his own blood. He turned to face the guards, his beard sloppy and full, his eyes black with bruises, and his lips full of dried blood. Police Chief Jim Hopper was not looking so good.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Monday, December 23rd, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve Harrington’s phone rang, crisp and clear, into the emptiness of his house a little before noon on Monday morning. He huffed as he walked out of his bedroom, down his stairs, and picked up the phone. </p><p>“Harrington residence, Steve speaking,” he said, his voice curt. </p><p>“Hi Steve,” Max’s voice responded from the other end of the line, “Hargrove residence, Max speaking.” Steve could hear the mocking tone of Max’s statement and fought the urge to roll his eyes.</p><p>“What do you want, jackass?”</p><p>“First of all, rude. Second of all, come by my house in an hour.”</p><p>“Shouldn’t you be in school right now?” Steve asked. </p><p>“Haha, very funny,” Max said, her voice biting and sarcastic. “Well, shouldn’t you be at work right now?”</p><p>“Don’t pretend that you don’t know my work schedule,” Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shutting his eyes, “Robin and I will be there in an hour. This better be quick because Robin has to get to work in three hours.”</p><p>“There’s no need to bring your girlfriend, Steve,” Max said.</p><p>“Max, for the millionth time, Robin is not my girlfriend.”</p><p>“Fine. Whatever. Just be here in an hour, and don’t bring anyone but yourself.”</p><p>“Is everything okay?” Steve asked, confusion building inside of him. </p><p>Max became so silent after Steve’s question that he thought for a fleeting second that she had hung up on him. </p><p>“Everything is fine, Steve,” Max said, her voice small. “Just swing by in an hour. And please, bring a toolbox.”</p><p>“A toolbox?”</p><p>“Bye, Harrington,” Max said, sounding chipper again. “Don’t forget the fucking toolbox.”</p><p>“Hey,” Steve protested, “watch your language!” </p><p>When Max didn’t respond this time, Steve had no doubts that she had hung up on him. He walked back up the stairs and into his bedroom, and looking into his mirror, he groaned to himself: <em>he only had one hour to do his hair.</em></p><p>~~~</p><p>Dustin Henderson was nearly burning up inside with excitement. Suzie was spending her Christmas break with him and the rest of the party - El and Will would be coming back to town for Christmas Eve, and Suzie herself was coming that very day. Honestly, thank God above that Suzie’s Mormon parents were okay with her visiting camp friends over her Christmas break. </p><p>Dustin picked up his walkie talkie and pressed the button, “Lucas, do you copy? It’s Dustin.”</p><p>Not even a second later, Dustin’s walkie talkie made a beeping noise, “It’s Lucas, and I copy.”</p><p>“Where are we meeting up when Suzie gets here?”</p><p>“Do you have a ride to the arcade?” Lucas said. </p><p>“No, my mom is working, Steve is helping me pick her up from the airport today.”</p><p>Dustin could feel Lucas rolling his eyes without even having to be in the same room as him. Ah, the benefits of a long lasting friendship. </p><p>“Dustin, are you actually stupid?” This was Mike’s voice on the line. “Just ask Steve to drop you off at the arcade.”</p><p>“It’s Lucas, and Mike is right. Also, Mike, what are you doing on this channel?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Mike said, “and of course I’m right.”</p><p>“Fine,” Dustin said, happiness still burning bright inside of him, “The arcade. Six o’clock. Deal? Over and out.”</p><p>“Deal, over and out,” Lucas said.</p><p>“Ditto, over and out,” Mike said.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Will and El were sitting on the floor of El’s bedroom, sitting so their knees knocked against one another’s, waiting for Mike to talk to them through El’s walkie talkie. </p><p>“Do you think it’s snowing in Hawkins yet?” Will asked, his voice soft. “Maybe that’s why he hasn’t called yet, you know? Maybe, uh, maybe he got snowed in or something.” Will’s fingers were pulling at the hem of his t-shirt. </p><p>El took Will’s fingers in hers, “Mike will call,” she said with conviction.</p><p>“How do you know?” Will asked, still a little unsure of his sister.</p><p>El smiled, “Mike loves us,” she said as if Mike loving them was the simplest answer in the world. Will despised the blush that crept up his cheeks at El’s words. Not even two minutes after El’s declaration of Mike’s feelings, their walkie talkie crackled and Mike’s voice was heard from their device, “El and Will, do you copy?”</p><p>El pressed down on the button, giggling slightly and looking at Will triumphantly, “We copy.”</p><p>“You’re still coming for Christmas right?” Mike asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “Everyone is really excited for you to come. Even Nancy misses you both.”</p><p>“Nancy just misses Jonathan,” Will said, trying to suppress an eyeroll, an act of passive aggression that he had learned from Max. El poked Will’s cheek at that, and they both started laughing.</p><p>“It’s true!” Mike’s voice protested. “Nancy misses you two.”</p><p>“If you say so,” El said, and she and Will bursted into a fresh round of laughter.</p><p>“But you’re still coming, right?” Mike asked. </p><p>“We’re still coming,” Will said. “We’re leaving this afternoon.”</p><p>“Yeah,” El said. “We are leaving this afternoon. Long drive.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Mike echoed, “long drive.”</p><p>“I miss you,” Will blurted out suddenly, making El turn quickly toward him, eyes wide and questioning. </p><p>“Oh, uh,” Mike’s voice was awkward through the walkie talkie and Will wanted to curse his own stupidity. Why would he say something that stupid to Mike? Mike, his best friend, the only party member that contacted him every day without fail. “I miss you too, dude.” Both relief and guilt flooded Will’s chest at Mike’s words but he didn’t have time to dwell on his emotions; before he knew it, El had asked, “How was your morning, Mike?” and Mike was rambling on about Suzie and Dustin and Lucas and visiting the arcade later that day.</p><p>“How is Max?” El asked when Mike was done.</p><p>“I think she’s like maybe a little lonely without you?” Mike said, his voice unsure and tense and awkward.</p><p>“I miss Max,” El said quietly.</p><p>“I know,” Mike said. There was a hint of emotion Will couldn’t quite catch in Mike’s voice as he said those two words, but he refused to think about it, and he refused to ask about it.</p><p>“So,” Mike said.</p><p>“So,” Will and El replied in unison. They both erupted in giggles again.</p><p>“Uhhhh… does it snow in California?”</p><p>“No,” Will said. “There’s no snow. It’s too hot here to snow.”</p><p>“I miss the snow,” El said. “I miss the snow and I miss Max.”</p><p>“Well,” Mike said, and Will could tell he was smiling even though they were states away, “the good news is that you will get to see them both tomorrow.”</p><p>El smiled wide, “I am excited.”</p><p>“Me too,” Mike said.</p><p>“Is it snowing in Hawkins yet?” Will asked. He felt like he was third wheeling. Again. </p><p>“Yeah,” Mike said, “It has been for months.”</p><p>“Cool,” Will said. “We should make a snowman.”</p><p>“Yeah!” Mike’s voice sounded enthusiastic. “We have a surprise for you when you get back, Will. The party and Steve and Robin, you’re gonna really like Robin, Will, she’s around all the time now,” Mike rambled on, “she and Steve claim they’re not dating but they spend all of their time together. Even Nancy’s started to notice how often Robin and Steve are around each other, and she’s not even into Steve anymore. Anyway,” Mike said, “we have a really great surprise for you, Will, and the party and Steve and Robin, we’ve all worked very hard on it. ” </p><p>“What is it?” Will asked. He was curious. He and El exchanged a look.</p><p>“I can’t tell you,” Mike said, “or else it wouldn’t be a surprise.”</p><p>“You’re right,” Will said, smiling.</p><p>“He’s right,” El echoed firmly. </p><p>It was strange, but Will Byers and Jane Hopper both missed Hawkins, Indiana.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“I don’t need my little sister hanging around me and my friends!” Lucas said, arms crossed and voice heavily annoyed. “You are not going to the arcade tonight, Erica! And for the millionth time, get out of my bedroom!” </p><p>“Well, Dustin doesn’t seem to mind me hanging around much, considering the fact that Steve and Robin wouldn’t even be alive right now if it weren’t for me. So,” Erica said sassily, her hands on her hips, “it seems like you do need your little sister hanging around or else all your friends would be dead in an underground Russian laboratory.”</p><p>“Erica,” Lucas hissed, “you can <em>not</em> be talking about that! You literally signed a nondisclosure agreement with the federal government!”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,” Erica said, rolling her eyes. “Now, take a minute to reconsider before getting back to me.” She paused for a second, “So can I go or not?”</p><p>“Fine,” Lucas said, accepting defeat. He sighed, long and loud and annoyed. “You can go, but only if you shut the hell up and stop being so annoying.</p><p>“Deal,” Erica said, grinning widely, the way she always did when she got her way. And she always got her way.</p><p>~~~</p><p>When Steve got to Max’s house, he was not expecting horrendously loud banging coming from the garage. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected, but that was definitely not it. He followed the noise and opened the garage door to find Max, her fiery hair looking particularly red in the fluorescent garage lighting as she scrambled out from under Billy’s blue camaro. </p><p>“I, uh, brought the toolbox,” Steve said lamely, his hand not carrying his tools motioning towards it. Max stood up, her blue eyes guarded and bordering on cold. </p><p>“I can see that,” Max said, her voice clipped. </p><p>Steve took in the sight of Max, her face smeared with car grease and valve oil, Billy’s old camaro looking extremely beat up, but worlds better than how it looked on the fourth of July. There was an odd pang in Steve’s chest as he realized that Max was wearing Billy’s necklace. Her piercing blue eyes looked directly into Steve’s and for a moment Steve had to remind himself that Max and Billy weren’t actually related by blood.</p><p>“You’re going to help me fix up his car,” Max said firmly. “Then, you’re going to teach me how to actually drive his car. Billy may have been the world's biggest dick, but he was my brother and he cared about me in his own fucked up way. I want to fix his camaro for him.”</p><p>Steve nodded, not quite sure how to respond to Max’s declaration. “I’m sorry-”</p><p>“Save it,” Max said. “He nearly beat you to death a year ago, there’s no reason for you to apologize. He was an absolute dickhead. He didn’t know how to express his feelings when he liked someone.” Max shrugged, “I can’t really blame him for that though.” </p><p>Steve’s whole world stopped; the only thing that he could feel was his heart rapidly beating in his chest. He thought of Billy Hargrove seeking him out during the Halloween party for the sole reason of gloating about how he dethroned the King of Hawkins High through a keg contest; he thought of Billy Hargrove pushing him around on the basketball court, telling him to plant his feet; he thought of Billy Hargrove calling him pretty in the locker room showers, telling Steve that he’d save plenty of bitches for him; he thought of Billy Hargrove attacking Lucas then slamming a plate over Steve’s head that night at the Byers’ house.</p><p>“Your brother did not like me,” Steve said numbly. Steve swore that he could smell Billy’s cologne in the air around him and Max; he halfway expected Billy to walk through the door and snap at him for even looking at his car. <em> Fuck.  </em></p><p>Max shrugged, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, pretty boy.”</p><p>Steve blanched and his heartbeat got faster, if that was even possible. For the second time that day, Steve had to remind himself that Max and Billy weren’t related by blood. They were stepsiblings for fuck’s sake. </p><p>Max put her hands on her hips, her lips forming a tight line across her face, her eyes sharp and intelligent, “Are you going to help me, or are you going to continue standing there looking like a fish out of water?”</p><p>Steve scrambled and awkwardly rushed toward Max. “What do you want me to do?”</p><p>Max grinned, “Follow me,” she said, motioning for Steve to come with her, and she brought him to the hood of the car, and popped it open.</p><p>“Let’s make this quick,” Steve said. “I have plans this afternoon.”</p><p>“Really? I’m surprised,” Max said, smirking and sarcastic.</p><p>“I’m bringing Dustin to the airport so we can pick up Suzie.”</p><p>“Wow,” Max deadpanned, “and to think I thought you had actual plans.”</p><p>“Hey, that’s cold, Max,” Steve said, but he was fighting back a smile. He paused for a moment, “Perhaps you’re right. Did I peak in high school?”</p><p>Max threw her head back and laughed, “No comment.”</p><p>“Fuck,” Steve said, but he was laughing. </p><p>Max looked at him, mirth in her eyes, “Language. There are young ears here.” </p><p>Steve rolled his eyes and started to help Max finish fixing Billy’s camaro.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“Okay, so what do I say to her when we get into the airport?” Dustin asked. He was sitting in the passenger seat of Steve’s BMW and they were speeding down the highway toward Indianapolis International Airport, which was quite difficult, considering how much it was snowing. </p><p>“Be sweet to her, you know?” Steve said. “It’s been a long time since you’ve seen her in person. It’s impressive that a kid your age has been in such a long term relationship while being states apart.” </p><p>“I’m wiser than you think I am, King Steve.” </p><p>Steve blinked, his mind zooming back toward Billy Hargrove and his stupid tongue that always hung out of his mouth and his dumbass fists and his shitty insults masked as advice. </p><p>“You are literally the only person that still calls me that, dumbass,” Steve said after a long moment. </p><p>“Dude, you good?” Dustin said, completely ignoring Steve’s remark. “You totally spaced out for a minute there.”</p><p>“I’m good,” Steve said, shrugging. “Nothing for you to worry about, dingus.”</p><p>Dustin’s nose scrunched up, “You’ve been spending too much time with Robin.”</p><p>“Well, people tend to spend a lot of time with their best friend,” Steve said.</p><p>“You sure that you’re not dating her?”</p><p>Steve groaned, “I’m positive that I am not dating Robin.”</p><p>“So…” Dustin said after a few moments of silence, “What do I say to Suzie?”</p><p>Steve laughed, “You look like a million bucks, alright? You go in there, you charm her with that toothless grin of yours, she completely swoons, you hold her hand. Make sure you open doors for her and offer to carry her bag, be a real gentleman, okay? Chicks dig gentlemen.” </p><p>“Okay,” Dustin said, running a hand through his curls.</p><p>“Hey,” Steve said, frowning a little bit, “don’t touch that hair. I spent way too much time on that hair today for you to go messing it up because of nerves. You’ll be great, Suzie is probably just as nervous right now, and it’ll all be okay once you see each other in person, yeah? So keep your hands out of your hair. Okay, dipshit?”</p><p>“Okay, okay, <em> dad </em>.” </p><p>“Shut up, dingus,” Steve said, but he was secretly pleased. “And stop calling me dad.”</p><p>“Is ‘Mom’ better?” Dustin asked, and Steve sighed. Dustin may have been Steve’s favorite child and only friend for the better part of the last year, but that did not mean Steve had to take such abuse.</p><p>“Shut the fuck up, Henderson,” Steve said, his words were harsh but his voice wasn’t. </p><p>“You kiss your mother with that mouth, Harrington?”</p><p>“No, but I do kiss <em> your </em>mom with this mouth. And for the record, she has no qualms about my kissing abilities. In fact-” </p><p>“Okay! Okay!” Dustin screamed, “I get the point, please shut up, I’m literally begging you to shut up!”</p><p>Steve laughed, grinning from ear to ear, “Okay, I’ll keep my lips closed from now on, Dusty Bun.”</p><p>“Steve?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“Have I ever told you how much I hate you before?”</p><p>“Mmmm maybe once or twice.”</p><p>“Well, let’s make it a third time: I fucking hate you.”</p><p>“How did the first verse of that song go again?” Steve asked, ignoring Dustin in favor of embarrassing him. “<em>Turn around… look at what you see… in her face… a mirror of your dreams… </em>”</p><p>“Shut up, Steve!” </p><p>“<em>Make believe I’m everywhere… given in the light… written on the pages… is the answer to a never ending story… aHhhhhhHhhhhh…</em>” </p><p>“Steve, I cannot believe you memorized so much of that dumb song just so you can make fun of me.”</p><p>“Well you best believe it, Dustin,” Steve said, almost laughing, “‘Cuz I did, and I can keep going if you want me to.” </p><p>“Please,” Dustin said, “just turn on the goddamn radio.” </p><p>Steve leaned over and turned on the car’s radio with the press of a button. Throughout the speakers of the car rang the lyrics loud and clear: “<em>reach the stars… fly a fantasy… dream a dream… and what you see will be…</em>”</p><p>Steve was laughing near the point of tears when Dustin groaned, burying his face in his hands. “You did this, didn’t you, Harrington?” <em> Rhymes that keep their secrets… will unfold behind the clouds… </em> “You somehow orchestrated this just to make fun of me, didn’t you?” <em> And there upon a rainbow… is the answer to a never ending story… </em> “This cannot be a coincidence, Steve!” <em> ahHhhhhH… storyyyyy…. ahhhHhhhh… </em></p><p>“I assure you,” Steve said between wheezes, “this is purely a coincidence.” <em> show no fear… for she may fade away… in your hand… the birth of a new day…  </em></p><p>“Bullshit!” Dustin said, and Steve winced at the word before they both started laughing, “I call bullshit!”  <em>rhymes that keep their secrets… will unfold behind the clouds…</em> “You’re rich enough to have this happen! I refuse to believe that this is random.” <em>and there upon a rainbow… is the answer to a never ending story…</em></p><p>Steve was too tired to explain to Dustin that just because his parents were rich, didn’t mean Steve himself was rich, so he started to sing along: “<em>aHhhhhHhhhhh never ending storyyyyyy ahhHhhhhhhh </em>” Steve laughed, “Come on Dustin, join in!”</p><p>“Fuck you, Steve,” Dustin said, but there was no malice in his voice.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“I’m picking you guys up at eight,” Nancy said as she dropped Mike, Max, Lucas, and Erica off at the arcade five minutes before six. “Please don’t be late.”</p><p>“We won’t be,” Mike said, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like you have plans anyway.”</p><p>“Mike, don’t be a douchebag,” Nancy said, her voice sickly sweet. </p><p>“Whatever,” Mike said, getting out of the passenger seat and shutting the car door rather loudly. Nancy sighed in response. </p><p>“Thank you, Nancy,” Erica said and Lucas muttered “kiss-ass”under his breath.</p><p>“Wow, real mature,” Max said sarcastically as the three of them climbed out of the backseat of Nancy’s car. Before Max shut her door all of the way she leaned into the car slightly, her fiery hair dangling loosely around her shoulders and touching her seatbelt, “Thanks,” she said. “Seriously. We’re still on for Saturday?” </p><p>Every Saturday since the events at the Starcourt Mall, Nancy would take Max to the cemetery, and they would both talk to Barb about their day (even though Max hadn’t even known Nancy’s best friend, she still talked to her), then they would lay flowers over Billy’s grave. They never spoke to Billy, Nancy not knowing him well, and Max feeling as though it was her fault that he was dead. They would place the flowers against the headstone and sit down on the grass near Billy in silence. Sometimes they would eat a lunch that Nancy had prepared for them but other times Max would cry and Nancy would wrap her arms around her. </p><p>“We might not have time,” Nancy said, “with everyone coming for a visit.”</p><p>“Oh,” Max said.</p><p>“Hey,” Nancy said softly, “I’ll bring you first thing after they leave.”</p><p>“Thank you!” Max said.</p><p>“Of course,” Nancy said kindly.</p><p>Nancy had an article to write for the paper due at midnight, and she wished she could have just stayed home that night. But Nancy couldn’t refuse rides to her brother and his friends because she found comfort in being active. If she was constantly doing something, Nancy Wheeler could almost believe that her life was falling into a routine, becoming normal: she wrote articles for the Hawkins Paper, talked to Jonathan over the phone for hours on end, checked in on Will and El through Mike’s walkie talkie, took classes at the nearby community college around her high school classes, and drove around the party whenever Steve wasn’t available. </p><p>With Nancy’s words, Max shut the door with a smile and ran to catch up with her friends. Just as Nancy was pulling out of her parking spot, Steve Harrington’s BMW pulled into a spot near hers. Nancy could see that Dustin and a young girl who must have been Suzie occupying the back seat while Robin, her hair particularly unruly, sat in the passenger seat. As Dustin climbed out of Steve’s car and held the door open for Suzie like the perfect gentleman, Steve’s eyes caught Nancy’s. She waved to him, flashing him a tight lipped smile. He waved back, then Robin, laughing, probably because it was so awkward to be waving to your ex-boyfriend through two car windows and a parking space, waved at Nancy too. </p><p>Nancy pulled out of the parking lot and sped home, one of the mixed tapes Jonathan had sent her playing throughout the car, to the comfort of her younger sister’s Disney movies and her dad’s snoring and her mother’s cooking.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Jim Hopper was tied to a chair, his chest littered with fresh bruises, his lips split, and his eyes both black. He thought one of his ribs was cracked. He was wincing with pain, trying to stop the spinning in his brain long enough to gather his scattered thoughts. He looked up at the Russian guard that was being paid to torture him and asked, through gritted teeth:</p><p>
  <em> “Where is the kid?” </em>
</p><p>In the basement below where Jim Hopper was being tortured, Billy Hargrove’s eyes blinked open, he was strapped onto a doctor’s table, and wires were attached to every limb of his body. But of course the former police chief of Hawkins, Indiana didn’t know that quite yet.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Tuesday, December 24th, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The last time Jim Hopper had a cigarette, he had split it with Billy Hargrove in the Upside Down. Now he didn’t even know where Billy was, what the Russians were doing with him, if they were even in Russia, or if Billy was in the same facility as him. </p><p>Hopper closed his eyes as he laid on his threadbare mattress and thought of El and her oversized clothing and warm smile and love for Eggos. Flickers of Joyce Byers and her vibrant smile and warm hands and constant smoking ran through his head, and <em> fuck </em> did Hopper want a cigarette. Hopper thought of Billy Hargrove and how scared he was when he had found him in the Upside Down, alone and cowering and in need of an adult. Hopper remembered the first time he realized that Billy’s dad would beat the shit out of him on a daily basis, just as Hopper’s own father did to him. Hopper had turned around too quickly, and Billy had raised his arms across his face as if he expected to be hit. It had made Hopper’s stomach drop and head hurt. When Jim Hopper thought of Billy Hargrove, he knew he couldn’t wallow in memories. He had to think of a way out of this stupid Russian prison, if not for himself then for El, who deserved a father. For Joyce, who deserved a date. For Billy Hargrove, who deserved a childhood.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“Robin! Robin!” Steve hissed as the ding that signaled the store door opening rang throughout the air and a girl stepped inside. One with glossy lipstick and curly hair and dark nail polish. “Robin! Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin -” </p><p>“What, dingus?” Robin asked, rolling her eyes from where she was organizing videos behind their counter. “If you say my name one more time I swear to God I’ll get Byers to come back from California  just to beat your face in again. I cannot believe that I’m here on Christmas Eve having to deal with your lack of brain cells.”</p><p>“Shut up for a minute, asshole, and look who just came into the store,” Steve huffed out, smirking slightly. As soon as Robin stood up and turned around to see Tammy fucking Thompson browsing movies, her face turned bright red before turning deathly pale. </p><p>“You’re friends with her, right?” Steve asked, wiggling his eyebrows.</p><p>“I mean, yeah,” Robin said, her voice a little shaky. Her eyes darted around the store, looking anywhere but at Steve or Tammy. “But, like, not the kind of friends who visit each other randomly at work.”</p><p>Steve shrugged, his grin a little sloppy. “Then what type of friends are you exactly?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Robin said, her eyes narrowing, “the kind that help each other with homework and only do sleepovers after studying. The kind that talks about <em> boys </em> with each other.”</p><p>“Hmmmm,” Steve whispered, “and what<em> boys </em>do you talk about, Robin?”</p><p>“Not you, Harrington,” Robin muttered, turning red again, “that’s for damn sure.”</p><p>Tammy was walking toward the documentary section of the store and Steve nudged Robin’s arm, “No wonder you like her,” he whispered.</p><p>“What is that supposed to mean?” Robin asked, her eyes narrowing again.</p><p>“She’s smart and shit,” Steve said. “Why the hell else would she be watching documentaries on Christmas Eve?”</p><p>“Shut up, Steve,” Robin whispered, turning red. Steve grinned at her blush. “Tammy!” Robin said loudly, before Steve could say anything else, “are you looking for anything in particular?”</p><p>“No, not really,” Tammy said, but her smile was bright. “You didn’t tell me you got a new job, Robs.” </p><p>“Sorry,” Robin said cheekily. “Didn’t think it was that important.”</p><p>“Of course it’s important,” Tammy said, her eyes wide. “Now come help me find a movie.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Robin said and she flung herself over the counter, easily gliding to the other side, landing on her feet perfectly.</p><p>“You’re so cool, Robin,” Tammy said, her tone of voice teasing, her smile feral, her eyes mocking.</p><p>“Shut up, Tammy,” Robin said. But Steve knew Robin and he knew that she wasn’t actually annoyed. </p><p>“Haven’t you heard that the customer is always right?” Tammy asked, cocking her head slightly toward the right.</p><p>Robin sighed and let Tammy lead her toward the type of movie that she wanted to rent. Steve observed them for a moment longer before he continued organizing the stack of videos Robin was sorting through when Tammy came in. For a girl who had a crush on Steve Harrington, Tammy Thompson sure did flirt with Robin Buckley a lot.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“They’re here!” Max exclaimed as she looked out of the Wheeler’s living room window as the Byers’ car sped into the driveway. “Lucas! Dustin! Suzie! Mike! They’re here!” The boys and Suzie came running into the room and Mike continued running until he was outside, the snow falling into his hair and onto his clothes. Max, Lucas, Dustin, and Suzie followed him outside, eagerly waiting for the Byers to come out of their car. Nancy came out a few minutes later, a winter coat tugged tightly around her body, and she quickly found her place slotted in between Jonathan’s arms, her head tucked under his chin, Jonathan’s back pressed against his car door. </p><p>El wandered her way out of the car, allowing her polaroid camera to tap against her chest as she ran toward Max, hugging her tightly, “I missed you, Max.” She said simply, a small, shy smile gracing her face. Meanwhile, Will was exchanging greetings with Dustin, Lucas, and Mike. It looked as though Dustin was introducing him to Suzie, and Joyce stood near the car, staring at the sky, letting the snow fill her hair and dust her shoulders. </p><p>“I missed you too,” Max said seriously, leaning away a bit. They looked at each other before they burst out in laughter. El took a step away from Max and took a picture of her. Max looked at El with a question in her eyes.</p><p>“Jonathan taught me how to take good pictures,” El said. “I have been scrapbooking lately.”</p><p>“That’s really cool,” Max said. El looked up at the sky, watching the snowflakes fall around them. “Snow,” El said. “I missed the snow.”</p><p>“Good,” Max said, laughing, “the snow missed you too!”</p><p>El’s eyebrows knitted in confusion before she pressed a gentle kiss to Max’s cheek and then ran away to hug Mike, leaving Max to stare after her, holding the place where El had kissed her gently with her fingertips. Her eyes met Will’s, who was currently hugging Dustin and Lucas. She felt a blush creep up onto her face and looked away. Will’s eyes were too knowing, after all.</p><p>Max walked so that she was closer to Lucas, Dustin, and Will, and grabbing Suzie’s hand, she tapped El’s shoulder though El was still in Mike’s embrace.</p><p>“El,” Max said as soon as she turned away from Mike, “this is Suzie, our newest party member.”</p><p>Suzie gave El a little wave before extending her right hand. El took her right hand in hers and shook it. “You are… Dustin’s girlfriend?” El asked. </p><p>“Yes,” Suzie said, her voice full of enthusiasm. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” </p><p>“He is your… ‘Dusty Bun’?” El asked, barely containing her giggles.</p><p>“Yes!” Suzie exclaimed, much to Dustin’s horror and El’s amusement. </p><p>“Let me take a picture of you and your Dusty-Bun!” El said, grabbing her camera to her face again. Suzie laughed along with El, and she and Dustin posed for a picture. Once El was done taking their photo, she leaned forward and tapped Dustin’s teeth with her fingers, “You have more teeth!”</p><p>“You like them?” Dustin asked. He purred at El, and she gave Suzie an exasperated look. As El laughed with Suzie and Dustin, Max and Mike shared a look. Tension passed between them before Mike was being pulled into a tight hug from Will, and their eye contact broke.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“So,” Steve said once his and Robin’s shift was finally over. They were climbing into his car, “You and Tammy, huh?” </p><p>“Dingus, what are you going on about?” Robin asked, but her face was turning pink again as she buckled her seatbelt. </p><p>“You know, I’m not great with the whole, uh, well, gay thing, I guess,” Steve said, suddenly awkward, “but I can tell you for damn sure that Tammy Thompson is not agonizing over my stupid hair anymore.”</p><p>“Whatever, Harrington,” Robin said. “You might not be a boy that I talked about, but you were a boy that she talked about, that’s for sure.”</p><p>“So?” Steve said, shrugging. Suddenly, he was feeling very nervous. “Can’t she find both attractive?”</p><p>“Find both what attractive, Steve?” Robin asked. </p><p>“Both boys and girls, Robin,” Steve said as if it were obvious, as if his heart wasn’t leaping out of his chest as he awaited Robin’s response.</p><p>“Steve,” Robin said, her voice suddenly serious. “What are you talking about?”</p><p>“Maybe Tammy finds girls attractive. I’m not exactly the definition of masculinity, with my doe eyes and long hair. Plus, I have been known to be pretty,” Steve said, thinking of Billy Hargrove again (he couldn’t seem to get that asshole out of his mind lately) “you know, like a girl. Plus, she <em> talked </em> about me, past tense.” </p><p>Robin started laughing, “Steve, you are not a girl, I can tell you that right now.”</p><p>“I know that,” Steve said, rolling his eyes as he backed out of his parking space and started driving toward the Wheeler’s house. “I know that I’m a man. All I'm saying is that it’s possible to like both.”</p><p>“I know,” Robin said. “I’m just not sure if Tammy does.” She cocked her head at Steve before asking, “Do you?”</p><p>“Do I what?” Steve said, hoping that he’d come off as if he were being as oblivious as he usually was.</p><p>“Don’t make me spell it out for you, dingus,” Robin said, her voice soft. “You know what I’m asking.”</p><p>Steve took a deep breath. He thought of Tommy H. How in middle school, Tommy made Steve feel the same way Nancy used to make him feel senior year, how Robin used to make him feel earlier that year. Images of Billy Hargrove flitted across his mind and he swallowed loudly. He thought of when Robin first told him that she was into Tammy Thompson, thought of when he told her he was “thinking” and how he was so confused. Not because she was lesbian, but because he always thought it was normal to have crushes on both boys and girls. Something normal, but unspoken. It didn’t really occur to him that it was unusual, weird, <em> abnormal</em>, until Robin made it clear that she’d only have crushes on girls. Not boys. Just girls. </p><p>“Did you OD over there?” Robin asked quietly.</p><p>Steve cracked a small smile, “No. Just thinking.”</p><p>“Okay,” Robin said, tugging on her ear. “You know, it’s okay if you do. It’s not weird or anything.” Steve nodded in response, not knowing how to express to her how he was feeling in words. It made Steve feel overwhelmed, how Robin could just tell what he was thinking just by being around him. </p><p>“I’ve just been thinking about…” Steve’s voice trailed off and he shook his head. “Nevermind, it’s stupid.”</p><p>“I guarantee you it’s not,” Robin said, her voice gentle. </p><p>Steve veered his car off of the road and parked it. He turned toward Robin, his eyes wide and his face twisted into an awful smile. “No, it’s dumb. It’s just, you know how Max asked me to help fix Billy’s camaro with her yesterday?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, and though she was really good at piecing things together, she honestly had no idea what Steve was about to say.</p><p>“I can’t stop thinking about Billy Hargrove,” Steve said, his voice quiet.</p><p>“Oh,” Robin said, knowing that she had to be tactful, “I didn’t know you guys were,” her voice became soft, “<em> friends </em>.”</p><p>“We weren’t,” Steve said, closing his eyes harshly. “We weren’t friends. He didn’t even… we weren’t even… we didn’t… I-I-I-” He banged his head against his arms, which were resting on his steering wheel.</p><p>“Steve,” Robin said, putting a soothing hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay. I promise, whatever it is, it’s okay.” </p><p>Steve felt like crying. Before he knew it, words were tumbling out of his mouth and spilling into the air. He was telling Robin about the Halloween party, how Billy Hargrove had sought him out, shirtless and wet and drunk, and bragged about how he beat Steve’s keg drinking record. Then, he was talking about basketball and planting his feet and the locker room showers, how Billy was naked and wet when he called him “pretty boy”. He told her about how he was an asshole to Max, how he tried to attack Lucas solely because Lucas had a crush on Max, how Steve had told Billy not to cream his pants. He told her how Billy slammed a plate over his head and punched his face in until he was bruised and bloody and unconscious. He was crying by the end of it. </p><p>“Steve.” Robin whispered, “Steve, what can I do to help?”</p><p>“I don’t know, Robin,” Steve whispered back. “I can’t stop thinking about him and his stupid fucking tongue that hung out of his mouth and how his mullet filled out this year and how fucking angry he was. It prickled off of him, Robin. That fucking anger. And, fuck, Robin. I haven’t felt like this since Hopper-” Steve couldn’t help the strangled, downright pathetic sound that welled in his throat.</p><p>“Steve,” Robin said softly. She pulled him into an awkward hug over the center console of his car. She whispered into his hair, “I didn’t know you had the hots for Hopper.”</p><p>Steve let out a strangled laugh, “Well, he is pretty attractive for an old man. Who can blame me?” He paused when Robin gave him a shocked look. “I did not actually have the hots for Hopper, Robin. What the hell?” Steve said. “You know I used to babysit for El. I just, um, well, he was nice to me, treated me like I wasn’t dumb. He’d complain about Mike Wheeler with me and talk to me about one day going to the academy, so I could become a police officer. He knew my parents are never around so he offered to let me stay with him during Christmas. I honestly thought he would have pulled through and saved our asses back in the Russian lab.”</p><p>“Oh,” Robin said. She knew that Steve had nightmares about Hopper, but she hadn’t known that Steve felt that Hopper was a better father to him than his own.</p><p>“He didn’t save us,” Steve said, clamping his eyes shut. “Dustin did.”</p><p>“He would have,” Robin said, “if he knew.”</p><p>“If you say so,” Steve said, shrugging helplessly, his shoulders hitting Robin’s collar bones. </p><p>“I do say so,” Robin said. She ran a hand through Steve’s hair and instead of swatting her away, Steve sank into Robin’s warmth. “So you’ve been thinking about Hargrove since you fixed his camaro with Max?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve laughed even though he was still crying, “and it fucking sucks.”</p><p>Robin wiped a tear from Steve’s cheeks and licked her finger. He looked at her like she was crazy and they both started laughing. “They’re salty!” Robin said in between giggles. </p><p>“I wish he was still alive,” Steve said quietly once they had calmed down. “Then Max would smile and I could punch him in the face.”</p><p>“You want to punch him?” Robin asked after a long silence.</p><p>Steve thought for a moment. “Yeah,” Steve said, his voice distant. “I want to fucking punch him.”</p><p>“Is that like a euphemism for something that I’m not aware of?” Robin asked, her voice teasing but there was a trace of very real confusion that was in it. </p><p>“No,” Steve huffed out, running a hand through his hair. “Well,” Steve said, his voice trailing off, “maybe.”</p><p>“Do you wanna hold off going to the Wheeler’s house?” Robin asked. “We can meet up with Will and Jonathan and the rest of the shitbirds later. We could eat something, visit Billy, then go.”</p><p>“Visit Billy?” Steve asked, his voice weak.</p><p>Robin nodded solemnly. “Yeah, visit Billy. He has a grave, doesn’t he?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, nodding his head. “Yeah, he does. Should we bring him something?”</p><p>“I dunno,” Robin shrugged. “Do you have something in mind?”</p><p>“He wore a dangly earring,” Steve whispered. “On the left ear. His dad, Neil, refused to bury him with his stupid fucking earring.” </p><p>“Earring it is then,” Robin said and Steve nodded in agreement. </p><p>Steve merged into the street, which was easy since only two other cars were out, and together they headed to Hawkins’ only consignment shop.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“Okay,” Mike said, “Tell us everything about California. What’s the school like? Do people like you? Are you popular?” </p><p>Dustin rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to Suzie’s forehead, Lucas scoffed, and Max nearly started laughing. El and Will were both a lot of things, but popular was not one of them.</p><p>“I have acquaintances,” El said. She was leaning on Mike’s side and her knees were knocking against Will’s. “Will is my best friend,” she announced and Will turned bright red. </p><p>“Yeah,” Will said, “it’s a really small town so everyone already has a friend group. It’s pretty much just El and I against the world.”</p><p>“Me and Will against the world,” El confirmed. “It’s hot there too.” </p><p>“Yeah,” Will agreed, “it’s super hot. It never snows there. It feels like it’s constantly summer, even if we’re in school.”</p><p>“Sweaty,” El said, holding onto the camera strap around her neck and Will nodded in agreement. El poked Will’s cheek and they started laughing together. The rest of the party exchanged looks.</p><p>“Do you guys have to share a room?” Max asked. She used to live in California so her curiosity was not about the state itself.</p><p>“No,” El said. “I have my own room. Small.”</p><p>“Tell us how everything here is,” Will said. “How’s Mr. Clark doing? What’s up with the AV club?” And with those questions, the rest of the party save Suzie started shouting about the newest radio tower Mr. Clark finagled for them, talking over one another as they argued over the new arcade games, then screaming about Mr. Clarke’s engagement.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Joyce was sitting with Karen and Ted in the living room, watching Holly read some of Mike’s old comic books. It was awkward. The silence was almost deafening. Ted was laying across the old sofa while Karen and Joyce sipped red wine and tried talking to one another. </p><p>“So,” Joyce said, “I just wanted to thank you for having all of us over for Christmas. I mean, you really didn’t have to let us stay in your extra rooms and all. It’s really kind of you.”</p><p>“It’s really no problem, Joyce,” Karen said, her smile kind, “it’s what friends are for. Plus, it makes Mike and Nancy so happy to have Will, Jane, and Jonathan over. They miss their friends so much.”</p><p>It was jarring for Joyce to hear El referred to as “Jane” but she smiled and nodded anyway. It was painful for Joyce to be in Hawkins again. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about how much Hawkins reminded her of Bob, of <em>Hopper</em>. For a fleeting moment she thought of calling Murray, of visiting Murray, but she swallowed harshly and the moment was over. “Well, we’re so grateful for your hospitality.”</p><p>“Of course,” Karen said, patting Joyce’s knee. “Would you mind helping me with dinner? I think Steve and Robin will be coming over tonight, too. Lots of cooking to do!” she finished with a slight laugh.</p><p>“Yeah, of course,” Joyce said and followed Karen into the kitchen. Karen’s normalcy, her red wine and warm house and lovely daughter, made Joyce start to feel a little better about being back in Hawkins, Indiana.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“I -” <em> kiss </em> “-missed-” <em> kiss </em> “-you-” <em> kiss </em> “-so-” <em> kiss </em> “-much-” Nancy whispered out. Jonathan was on her bed, Nancy sitting on his lap, enjoying how much her lipstick stained his face.  </p><p>“God, Nance,” Jonathan breathed out, “Fuck, I missed you too.”</p><p>Nancy laughed, “I know. You call me every minute.”</p><p>“It’s not enough,” Jonathan said. “It’s never enough. Not like how it’ll be next year, when we’re in college together.” </p><p>Nancy nodded, “NYU won’t know what hit them when we arrive.” </p><p>Jonathan pressed a kiss to Nancy’s forehead before saying, “I love you.”</p><p>“I know,” Nancy whispered. “I love you too.” There was a sparkle behind Nancy’s eyes. She leaned in very close to Jonathan’s right ear, bit it lightly before whispering, “I have a very special Christmas gift for you this year.”</p><p>Jonathan groaned, “Shit, Nance. <em> Shit </em>.” </p><p>Nancy laughed, the noise loud and beautiful and sweet. “Yeah,” she said, smiling deviously. “Shit is correct.” Jonathan pulled her close and kissed her soundly on the lips. Nancy Wheeler never felt happier.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“Mr. Clarke’s<em> engaged </em>?” Will asked, his voice incredulous. </p><p>“Yeah,” Dustin said, nodding. “Engaged. He’s probably gonna have a herd of kids and will have to stop overseeing the AV Club.”</p><p>“Don’t say that!” Lucas said, slugging Dustin’s arm. “He wouldn’t leave us like that.”</p><p>“Uh, yeah, he would,” Dustin said. “Especially for a super hot wife!”</p><p>“Dustin!” Suzie and Max said at the same time, and Dustin flashed them a sheepish grin.</p><p>“He got engaged a few weeks ago,” Mike said, and Will and El followed along to his every word. “She’s pretty cool, from what he told us. She listens to him talk about science stuff, watches nerd movies with him, and can keep up with his mathematical skills.”</p><p>“That’s good,” El said. Max nodded in response.</p><p>“See, Lucas,” Suzie said, flashing him a toothy grin, “I’m not the only perfect girl that exists.”</p><p>Lucas slugged Dustin yet again, “Dude, I cannot believe that you told her that!”</p><p>“Of course I did,” Dustin said, “I tell her everything.”</p><p>“It’s true,” Suzie said. “Don’t worry, though. The next time you guys go off to save the world, there won’t be a musical number.”</p><p>“Thank god,” Will said. “That was horrible.”</p><p>Suzie and Dustin started laughing while Lucas and Max protested Will’s statement.</p><p>“Horrible?” Max asked incredulously. “More like comedic gold.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Lucas agreed with Max, “it’s still something we can make fun of today. It never gets old.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Max said. “<em> Exactly </em>.” </p><p>Mike shook his fondly at his friends and El pressed a kiss to his cheek. Will sighed for a minute, wishing for a fleeting second that he could kiss Mike’s cheek before wanting the ground to swallow him whole.</p><p>“It was terrible,” Will said, forcing a smile, “And you can quote me on that.”</p><p>Suzie laughed, “Okay, okay. Dusty Bun and I will keep our musical numbers to a minimum.” </p><p>“Please don’t,” Max and Lucas begged her while Will thanked her. </p><p>“I’m afraid we’ll have to,” Dustin said solemnly, “my voice is for Suzie’s ears alone.”</p><p>“Ugh, Dustin,” Will said. “Stop being so sappy and gross.”</p><p>“Will, I’m a changed man,” Dustin said, “I’m sappy and in love now.”</p><p>El and Will exchanged a look before they each rolled their eyes at Dustin’s statement. Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Suzie continued their argument about Dustin and Suzie’s duet when Mike tugged on Will’s sweatshirt sleeve. </p><p>“You okay, Will?” Mike asked, his nose scrunched in concern, his eyes boring into Will’s.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Will said, even though he knew his voice sounded tight. </p><p>“You sure?” Mike asked and Will nodded, fully aware that El was watching them with those wide eyes of hers. </p><p>“I’m sure,” Will said, nodding slightly. </p><p>“Okay,” Mike said. His concern morphed into a sloppy smile, “I can’t wait for you to see the surprise we’ve been working on for you.”</p><p>“I’m excited,” Will said, telling the truth for once.</p><p>“Good,” Mike said, still smiling. “Good.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Steve and Robin were freezing in Hawkins Cemetery as they placed a silver, dangly, arrow-shaped earring next to a couple wilting bouquets on Billy’s grave.</p><p>“Who else visits him?” Robin asked. Her eyes widened and she slapped her hands over her mouth. “Shit, that was so rude.”</p><p>“No, it’s okay,” Steve said. “Nancy takes Max here most Saturdays and some holidays. She might take her here today. Probably not though,” Steve sighed, “since the Byers are back. Nancy might be a little occupied.”</p><p>“You’re not over her, are you?” Robin said. It was a question, but they both knew it was at least a little bit true. </p><p>Steve shrugged, “It’s whatever, I guess,” Steve said. “It’s all just bullshit anyway.” <em> Bullshit. No, you. You’re bullshit. </em>“Anyway, those flowers are what Max brings to him every week.”</p><p>“Why don’t you go with her?” Robin asked.</p><p>“It’s something she and Nancy have to do together,” Steve said. “They also visit Barb, I believe, and Jonathan used to go with them. But he moved.” Steve ran a hand through his hair.</p><p>“Oh,” Robin said softly.</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said.</p><p>“Do you have something you wanna say to him?” Robin asked, nodding toward Billy’s grave. Steve shrugged again.</p><p>“Uhhhh, you were a prick, and I wish you would’ve put your tongue back in your mouth when you were alive and I can’t fucking stand you, but I forgive you for punching my pretty face in,” Steve was rambling and he knew it, but he also couldn’t stop, “I just wish you were here so I could punch you. Also, you were pretty good at basketball, but don’t let that get to your head, wherever you are. Anyway, uh, rest in peace, I guess?”</p><p>“Eloquently put,” Robin said, sending Steve a secret smirk.</p><p>“Thank you,” Steve said, his breathing was a little bit easier and he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. “For everything.”</p><p>Robin patted Steve’s shoulder. She kissed his cheek. “Of course.”</p><p>“You’re a good best friend,” Steve said. </p><p>“I know, dingus,” Robin said, her voice triumphant. </p><p>“Don’t let that get to your head though, shitbird.” </p><p>“I won’t,” Robin said, but she was smiling widely. “Promise.”</p><p>Steve knocked his arm against hers. She smiled at him.</p><p>“Anyone else you need to visit?” Robin asked.</p><p>“I don’t think I can handle seeing Hopper, so no,” Steve said. “You?”</p><p>“Nope,” Robin said, shaking her head. </p><p>“I hope he has a good Christmas,” Steve said, “wherever he is.”</p><p>“I’m sure he will,” Robin said, motioning to the earring that they left for him. She took Steve’s hand in hers, and together, they walked through the snow and back to Steve’s car.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Hopper was running on adrenaline and adrenaline only. He had just broken out of his cell, killing the Russian guard who gave him meals with a fork to the eye, stole the guard’s credentials and was sneaking around the prison, trying to map out an exit once he found where the hell they were keeping Billy Hargrove. Jim Hopper was not leaving prison without Billy Hargrove first. He knew it was stupid, knew that he was risking his own life the longer he stayed in the prison, but he didn’t care if he was discovered. He would be damned if he left without saving Billy first. </p><p>He rounded a corner and used his new credentials to open a set of wide, steel doors. The corridor in front of him had two rooms to the left and a stairwell to the right. He made a split second decision to enter one of the rooms before heading down the stairs. Hopper turned around, and, making sure that he wasn’t being followed, he entered the first door on the left, thanking Christ that this corridor wasn’t being recorded by any cameras. He was met by a filing cabinet with only two drawers. The first was labeled “Prasad”. The second was labeled “Byers”. </p><p>“Shit,” Hopper said out loud. “Fucking shit.”</p><p> </p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Wednesday, December 25th, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hopper collected all of the papers that he found inside of the “Byers” cabinet and snagged a few from the “Prasad” cabinet as well for safe keeping. Boy did he have a story for Murray when he got the hell out of prison. He quickly shut both drawers and rushed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him, and ran down the stairwell. </p><p>At the bottom of the stairs, he had two choices: to walk straight, or to try his luck again with another door to the right. He walked straight, following down a dingy hallway and was starting to feel suspicious by the lack of surveillance throughout the corridor as well as the lack of alarms going off since he breached the Russian’s well-oiled prison system. The corridor led him to a glass room where masked doctors in white coats poked and prodded a sickly looking Billy Hargrove with wires. In the room just beyond the glass, a disgusting cell was occupied by what Jim Hopper knew was an interdimensional monster. </p><p>“Fuck.” Hopper whispered to himself as he counted a second demogorgon, then a third, and finally, a fourth. “<em>Fuck</em>.” </p><p>~~~</p><p>When Nancy Wheeler finally got a moment alone with Jonathan (after all of the Christmas presents given to Holly, Mike, El, and Will had been opened, and breakfast had been eaten), she handed him two packages, both of them wrapped neatly in silver paper, one much heavier than the other. They were sitting on her bed, Nancy’s red lips forming a grin while Jonathan stared at her with wide eyes. </p><p>“Open them,” Nancy said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. He did so slowly, making sure not to rip the wrapping paper and folded the paper neatly before placing it on the bed next to him. Jonathan looked at Nancy, his eyes huge when he realized what she had gotten him: a polaroid camera and skimpy underwear. </p><p>“I hope you’re not expecting me to wear these,” Jonathan said awkwardly, quirking an eyebrow at Nancy. </p><p>She tugged on one of her curls and looked up at him through her long eyelashes. Her blue eyes seemed to be dancing. Nancy smirked, shrugging slightly, “I was thinking you could take some photos, you know? For old times sake.”</p><p>“Nance,” Jonathan said quietly, “that was so creepy of me.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Nancy said. She took the lingerie from Jonathan’s hands. “But now I want you to do this. I want you to have something to remember me by before we go to college. Maybe if you keep these polaroids we’d spend less time on the phone.” Nancy said teasingly, not truly wanting him to call her any less, “I’ll pose for you.”</p><p>“Shit, Nance, how could I ever forget you?”</p><p>Nancy smirked, “Well now you surely won’t.”</p><p>“Have I ever mentioned how hot you are?”</p><p>“Maybe a few times,” Nancy said, smiling widely.</p><p>“Nancy Wheeler, you are so fucking intelligent and beautiful. And fucking hot, Jesus Christ.”</p><p>Nancy laughed, “Shut up,” she said getting up from the bed. She held out the lingerie in front of Jonathan. “Get your polaroid ready while I change.”</p><p>“Shit, Nance,” Jonathan said, swallowing loudly. “Shit, this is so hot.” </p><p>Nancy laughed again as she left her bedroom in order to go to the bathroom down the hall, a secretly pleased smile gracing her lips.  </p><p>~~~</p><p>Steve and Robin arrived at the Wheeler’s house pretty early on Christmas morning, Steve’s parents out of town and Robin’s parents not really caring where she was. They picked up Dustin and Suzie on their way, sharing knowing looks as the two teens climbed into the back of Steve’s BMW, holding hands and talking softly to one another.</p><p>“So,” Steve said, his voice kind of awkward, “how was the rest of your Christmas Eve?”</p><p>“Not as good as it could have been since you guys were three hours late to dinner and left two hours before everyone else,” Dustin said, his voice full of accusation. “Nancy had to drive Suzie and I back home. Come on lovebirds, just fess up already.”</p><p>“Dingus Jr.,” Robin said, her voice dry, as Steve pulled out of Dustin’s driveway, “we’re not fessing up to anything since we’re not lovebirds. We’ve negated this rumor thousands of times. Did you finally inhale so much of that Farrah Fawcette spray Harrington bought you that you got permanent brain damage?”</p><p>Dustin gasped in horror, “Buckley, you promised me that you wouldn’t tell anyone about the hairspray!”</p><p>“I did no such thing,” Robin said, shaking her head. “I told you that I would keep the Farrah Fawcett spray out of my mind, but I never said that I wouldn’t tell anyone about it.” She smiled when her statement was meant only by Dustin’s silence.</p><p>Steve grimaced as he drove through the snow, “Well thanks for announcing to the public that I use women’s hairspray, Robin.”</p><p>“Well, Steve,” Suzie said from the backseat before Robin could make any remarks, “I wouldn’t say that Robin announced it to the public since it’s only the four of us in the car, and three of which already knew about your choice of hairspray.”</p><p>“She has a point,” Robin said, her voice bright. “Thank you, Suzie. Dustin, I like her. She’s a keeper.”</p><p>“Women,” Dustin sighed.</p><p>“Women,” Steve agreed, and the four of them were still laughing as they pulled into the Wheeler’s driveway.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Hopper was fucked, absolutely, sincerely, astronomically fucked. Not only were the Russian doctors two seconds away from finding him as just one look up from a doctor would get him discovered and his entire prison break would be over and he’d be brutally and painfully murdered, but they also somehow managed to open the gate to the Upside Down enough to let four demogorgons into the world. Again. Fuck did Hopper hate his life. </p><p>Hopper was trying to assess the situation. If he made any movement he risked being discovered, but if he stayed in plain sight, there was also a risk of being caught. He needed to move forward. He quickly folded the papers he stole and shoved them in his pockets, praying they wouldn’t fall out, and barged into the room full of doctors, breaking glass as he did so, fully aware that he would be fed to one of the monsters if he didn’t beat the shit out of the Russian doctors in time. </p><p>There were three doctors in the room, and Hopper knocked out the closest one to him very easily, only pausing for a second when Billy murmured, “Hop?” His voice was slurred, dazed, “Is that you, Hop?” </p><p>“It’s me, kid,” Hopper said, “Sorry that it’s been awhile.”</p><p>“’S okay,” Billy slurred.</p><p>Hopper’s focus was pulled from Billy when one of the doctors' walkie talkie crackled and in a thick, Russian voice said: “<em>We</em><em> need backup. The American has escaped.</em>”</p><p>“Shit,” Hopper said as a siren went off throughout the prison. “Fucking shit.” He grabbed the walkie talkie out of the doctor’s hand and threw it across the room. He then punched him in the face and watched him crumple to the ground before turning toward the last doctor, who was about to press a large, red button. Hopper checked the last doctor away from the button and gritted his teeth, “<em>Y</em><em>ou don’t want to do that</em>,” Hopper said, his Russian rough and broken. Hopper knew he only had a few more moments before guards infiltrated the lab, so he kicked the last doctor in the groin and rushed toward the table Billy was strapped onto.</p><p>“I’m gonna get you outta here, kid,” Hopper said.</p><p>“Get Kali,” Billy said. His voice was still quiet, still slurred and tired.</p><p>“Get what?” Hopper asked, pulling wires off of Billy. The alarms were still blaring.</p><p>“Kali,” Billy said again. “Kali Prasad. She’ll help. Red button.” </p><p>Hopper finished tearing the wires off of Billy and helped the boy off of the table, Billy nearly buckling onto the floor as soon as his feet hit the ground. Hopper’s brain was working in overdrive; Prasad, there was a file on her. </p><p>“Fuck it,” Hopper said, there was only a thin wall between them and the demogorgons and he could hear the Russian guards running down the stairs, their steps heavy. Hopper allowed Billy to lean on him and he placed his faith in Billy as he reached over and slammed his fist on the big red button.</p><p>~~~</p><p>If someone had told Robin Buckley last year that she would be spending Christmas at Nancy “The Priss” Wheeler’s house with her best friend, Steve Harrington, and seven kids, she would have laughed. But here she was, squished on a couch between Steve Harrington himself and Nancy Wheeler, whose cheeks were suspiciously flushed and whose lips were suspiciously bruised. It was fucking awkward to say the very least. Christmas Eve dinner was only bearable because of how many buffers there were between Nancy and Steve; Jonathan was there to distract Nancy and the kids were around to distract Steve. Mrs. Wheeler, with the help of Mrs. Byers, made sure that Nancy and Steve weren’t even seated near each other during the meal. But right then, noon on Christmas 1985, Jonathan was in the basement with the kids, taking pictures of them with their new gifts, Mr. Wheeler was taking a nap with Holly upstairs, and Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Byers were out at a diner, grabbing coffee together.</p><p>The tension in the living room was palpable. “So,” Robin said. She was looking at her chipped nails and playing with her bracelets. “How’s uh, Christmas going?” </p><p>Steve elbowed her ribcage roughly, and she swatted his arm away from her.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Nancy said delicately. She stood up from the couch, “Would either of you like some water? I’m going to um,” Nancy said as she walked toward her kitchen, “get something to drink.”</p><p>“Water would be great,” Robin said, grinning. “Thanks, Nancy.”</p><p>Steve groaned, putting his face in his hands, and hissed, “Can you please act like a normal person for just a few moments, Buckley?”</p><p>“What are you talking about, dingus?” Robin asked as she watched Nancy grab two cups from a cabinet and turn on the kitchen sink, allowing water to fill up each of the glasses.</p><p>“Don’t do anything stupid, Robin,” Steve said, “that’s what I’m talking about.”</p><p>“Harrington, I have never done a stupid thing in my entire life.”</p><p>“Says the girl who broke into a secret Russian laboratory because she was <em> bored </em>.” </p><p>“You’re not supposed to talk about that,” Robin said, rolling her eyes. “We signed a contract, remember? Or did the hairspray swallow up your last brain cells too?”</p><p>Nancy came back with two glasses of water before Steve had the chance to respond. He shot her a glare as Nancy handed Robin a cup.</p><p>“Hey, um, Steve?” Nancy asked, her voice nervous but her eyes were boring into Steve’s. Robin’s eyebrows raised at Nancy. “Can we talk for a moment?”</p><p>“Yeah, uh, sure, Nance,” Steve said, getting up.</p><p>“Alone maybe,” Nancy said, giving Robin a sideways glance. Robin took a sip of water and grinned at Steve over the brim of her glass. </p><p>“Okay,” Steve said. He followed Nancy out of the living room and onto the front porch, flipping Robin off as soon as Nancy’s back was turned toward them. Robin flashed him a thumbs up in response. </p><p>***</p><p>“So, Merry Christmas,” Nancy said when Steve shut the front door behind them. They were alone, the rest of the neighborhood was quiet; people were inside of their houses, spending quality time with their families. </p><p>“Merry Christmas,” Steve said, running an anxious hand through his hair.</p><p>“I just wanted to say that I’m happy that you met Robin,” Nancy said. “Things are awkward between us, but I’m really glad that you’ve found someone that makes you happy.”</p><p>Steve’s eyes widened, “Nancy, Robin and I aren’t together. Not like that.”</p><p>“Oh,” Nancy said. She sounded taken aback. “Really? You guys seem so close.”</p><p>“Really,” Steve said. “We’re just friends.”</p><p>“Oh,” Nancy said. “Oh. Oh, Steve. I uhm.” Steve looked at Nancy expectantly while she closed her eyes, concentrating on what she was going to say. Finally, Nancy sighed, “You know, when I asked to speak with you, I didn’t really picture it going this way.”</p><p>“Really?” Steve asked, amusement evident in his smile and his eyes. “Imagine talking to me often, Wheeler?”</p><p>“Shut up, Steve,” Nancy said, rolling her eyes. But she was smiling. “I’d really like us to not be awkward anymore. You seem fine around Jonathan.” She crossed her arms.</p><p>“Nancy,” Steve said, “that’s because Jonathan used to sell me weed.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” Nancy said, pinching the bridge of her nose. </p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, nodding. “But okay, okay. Um, how do we not be awkward?”</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Nancy said, worrying her bottom lip. “I guess I should start by saying that I’m sorry.”</p><p>“You’re sorry?” Steve asked, confused. “Why would you be sorry?”</p><p>Nancy’s blue eyes were intense when they looked at Steve. “You’re not bullshit, Steve. Our relationship wasn’t bullshit, and I need you to know that.”</p><p>“Nance,” Steve felt himself turning red as his voice cracked, “it’s okay. I understand.”</p><p>“Steve.” Nancy said slowly, deliberately, “You’re not bullshit and I’m sorry that I ever made you feel that way.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Steve said and he felt as though an entire weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. “I understand though,” Steve said. “Why you called me bullshit, I mean.” He laughed humorlessly. “I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most.” They both knew he was talking about Barb.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Nancy said quietly. “I understand why you didn’t want to think about her.”</p><p>They stood in the cold, in the silence, for a little while longer before Nancy blurted out, “So are we good?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, “we’re good.” </p><p>Nancy scanned Steve’s face. “You sure?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, smiling softly. “I’m sure.”</p><p>“So,” Nancy said, her whole demeanor changing, her features becoming more light, “if you’re not with Robin, are you with someone else?”</p><p>Flashes of Billy Hargrove flickered through Steve’s mind and Steve really wished that he would stop being haunted by memories of Californian douchebags. “Nah,” Steve said, shaking his head slightly. He smiled wryly, “I’ve been going through a bit of a dry spell.”</p><p>“Well,” Nancy said, mirth dancing in her blue eyes, “I’m sure that sailor suit really helped that out.”</p><p>Steve huffed out a laugh, “Shut up, Wheeler.” </p><p>That Christmas, Steve Harrington got the best present of them all: he got the chance to laugh with Nancy Wheeler again. </p><p>~~~</p><p>After Nancy and Jonathan prepared lunch for everyone (Joyce and Karen still being out), the party, Steve, and Robin gathered in the Wheeler basement, ready to share the surprise they made for Will with him.</p><p>“So,” Mike said, he was grinning and it made Will’s stomach flip. El was standing behind Mike, her hair braided loosely by Max, who was standing next to her, their arms interlocked. Lucas stood next to Max, Dustin to his right, and Suzie’s arms were wrapped around Dustin’s middle. Steve and Robin stood behind Dustin and Suzie, both of them grinning widely. “We have to get our coats on, your Christmas gift is outside, Will.” </p><p>“Outside?” Will asked Mike, quirking an eyebrow. Will had no idea what they had made for him that would be outside and he was becoming very curious.</p><p>“Outside,” El confirmed, nodding her head. She and Will locked eyes and shared secret smiles. Though Will was jealous of El, she was his sister, and the bond they shared was unbreakable, especially by stupid boys.</p><p>As soon as their conversation was done, the party stomped up the basement stairs, bundled up in their winter coats, and walked through the snow and into Mike’s backyard. The nine of them surrounded a tree in Mike’s backyard. On one of the branches of the tree was a swing, a huge red bow tied between the ropes of it. As Will stepped closer to it, he could see that the seat of the swing was partially made out of his former “Castle Byers” sign.</p><p>“Merry Christmas, Will!” Everyone shouted.</p><p>“Thank you,” Will said, blinking quite fast because tears, good tears, were threatening to fall. “Thank you.” </p><p>“See,” Lucas said, grinning broadly as he motioned at the swing, “you’ll always have a place in Hawkins.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Dustin agreed, nodding excitedly as he put his arm around Will, “and you’ll always have a piece of Castle Byers.” </p><p>“And uh,” Mike said, not quite making eye contact with Will, “you’ll always have a home here, with me.” His face was turning pinker and pinker as he rambled on, “and the rest of the party and everyone else, of course.” </p><p>Will grinned at Mike, feeling his own cheeks turning pink at Mike’s words. “Mike,” he said softly, “thank you.” </p><p>“Of course,” Mike said, his voice equally soft and it made Will’s insides mushy. He felt warm and embarrassed and wonderful all at once. When Will heard the click of El’s camera as she captured the lovesick look he sent Mike’s way, Will turned away from Mike and his eyes met Max’s. She raised her eyebrows at him. Will felt himself turning red from her knowing facial expression and looked away from her and his eyes then met El’s; her eyes were big and brown and all too knowing as she put her camera down and held onto her polaroid picture. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Joyce Byers and Karen Wheeler were sitting at a poorly lit diner located on the outskirts of Hawkins. It was a dingy little place, the tables were cracked and paint was peeling slightly at the corners of the walls, but the coffee was good and the food was warm.</p><p>“So how are you holding up?” Karen asked after taking another sip of coffee.</p><p>“I’m, uh, okay,” Joyce said. She was glancing around the small restaurant, images of Hopper flashing through her mind. He used to take her to this diner when they would play hookey in high school. They would share Hopper’s cigarettes and talk about her latest keg record and how much of an asshole Lonnie Byers was and how much of a douchebag Hopper’s father could be. Joyce closed her eyes. She missed Hopper and his perpetual smell of coffee and cigarettes and lack of sleep. Being in Hawkins only heightened her grief. “It’s been a hard year,” Joyce admitted honestly.</p><p>She had the strongest urge to visit Murray Bauman as they had done directly after the incident at Starcourt Mall. They would exchange evidence about whether Hopper was alive, and if so, where he would be. After she moved, the weekly visits became weekly (coded) phone calls, which became the occasional (coded) letter and then morphed into the rare (coded) fax. She closed her eyes and willed herself to not think of Murray’s intensity or Hopper’s coffee stained smile. </p><p>“I know,” Karen said. She took Joyce’s hands in hers. “I’m glad you’re back for Christmas though. I’ve missed having you and your boys around.”</p><p>“I’ve missed being here,” Joyce said, but her voice sounded hollow, and the ghost of Hopper’s laugh echoed in her ears. </p><p>~~~</p><p>“Henderson,” Steve said a little later that afternoon, “let's put yours and Suzie’s gifts in my car.”</p><p>“But Steve,” Dustin whined as he followed Steve up the basement stairs and away from the rest of the party, “it’s so early. It’s barely one! Why do we have to do it now?”</p><p>“Cuz you and Suzie have a boxful of gifts and right now I feel up to putting them away and I don’t want to do it later tonight. I’m going to be tired tonight, shitbird, and I don’t want to do heavy lifting with you when I’m tired. And we both know that later tonight, you’ll be too tired to even attempt to lift the box.”</p><p>“Ugh, fine,” Dustin said. He and Steve landed in the Wheeler’s living room and Dustin picked up the box of presents he and Suzie got from their friends and the Wheelers and followed Steve to his car. He handed the box to Steve and went to open the trunk.</p><p>“Not the trunk! Not the trunk, dingus!” Steve said, a hint of panic in his voice.</p><p>“Why not?” Dustin asked. “Is there a body in there or something?” </p><p>“No,” Steve said, shaking his head viciously. Dustin could tell that Steve was floundering, trying to think of an excuse as to why Dustin couldn’t use his trunk. Before Steve could say another word, Dustin flung open the door of Steve’s trunk just to be met with the sight of Steve’s nail-bat. </p><p>“Um, Steve?” Dustin said, confusion heavy in his voice. He turned to face Steve. “Why do you have the bat in your trunk again? Are you having nightmares again?”</p><p>“No,” Steve protested, handing Dustin the box back. “Well, the nightmares haven’t stopped,” He brushed off Dustin’s look of concern as he said, “It’s just- Dustin.” Steve seemed to be trying to tell him something important, fiddling with the hem of his coat. “Look, I gave the Russians your full name, Henderson. Your full name. Yeah, yeah ‘If you die, I die’,” Steve ran a hand through his hair, “except if you die it’ll be because I gave Russians your information not because some radioactive green goo exploded on us.”</p><p>“So you have the bat in your trunk to beat the shit out of the Russians that may or may not be coming to kidnap me?” Dustin asked, placing the box in the trunk next to Steve’s bat.</p><p>“Okay,” Steve said, frowning, “when you say it like that it sounds crazy.”</p><p>“No it doesn’t,” Dustin said. “It’s not crazy, Steve. Listen, I’m okay. You’re okay. Robin’s okay. Erica’s okay. The whole party is okay.” Dustin lowered his voice, “Screw the Russians, Steve. If they wanted me they would have gotten me already. Besides, what use would a kid with barely any baby teeth and no collarbones be to the Russians?”</p><p>Steve nodded, “Yeah, you’re right, you’re right. Come here, shitbird.” Steve said motioning for Dustin to give him a hug. Dustin did, happily sinking into the warmth of Steve’s chest. Steve ruffled Dustin’s hair a bit and Dustin pulled away from Steve’s embrace.</p><p>“Hey,” Dustin said. “Dude, watch the hair.”</p><p>“Right,” Steve said, shaking his head fondly as Dustin burrowed his face back into his chest. “Sorry, I forgot.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Hopper had no idea how the three of them did it, but before he knew it, Kali Prasad was throwing Billy into the backseat of a stolen car. Before the passenger side door was even closed behind her, Kali was screaming at Hopper to drive. He stepped on it, speeding down a highway that looked distinctly not Russian.</p><p>“Kali,” Hopper said, his voice loud and hysterical, “where the fuck are we?”</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Kali said, scanning the highway signs. “Florida maybe.”</p><p>“Why the fuck would Russians be in Florida?”</p><p>“I don’t fucking know,” Kali snapped. “You do realize you haven’t always been in this facility, right? And stop screaming, Hop.”</p><p>“It’s <em> Hopper</em>,” Hopper said, his voice quieter than it previously was. “And what?</p><p>“Well, Hargrove here calls you ‘Hop’,” Kali said, crossing her arms. “And so do I.”</p><p>Hopper took a moment to collect himself. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. “What about me not always being in this particular facility?”</p><p>“You and Hargrove got transferred here about a week ago,” Kali said, shrugging slightly. “I don’t know why, so don’t ask.” </p><p>“Okay,” Hopper said, fighting to keep his voice calm. He turned his focus off Kali and toward Billy. “Billy?” Hopper said gently. “Hargrove? Kid? How are you holding up back there?” Hopper asked, adjusting the rear view mirror so he could actually look at the kid. Billy Hargrove looked terrible; his hair had been buzzed, his skin was pale, he had obviously lost a lot of weight, and the circles under his eyes looked more like bruises than bags. </p><p>“’M okay,” Billy mumbled. His eyes were closed and he was sprawled out in the backseat, his body taking up the entire rear of the car. “Everything’s gonna be okay, Hop. Promise.”</p><p>Hopper grunted in response to Billy before turning to Kali, “What did they do to him?”</p><p>“Experiments,” Kali said. </p><p>“What type of experiments?” Hopper asked, immediately thinking of the torture, abuse, and neglect El was forced to endure during her childhood. Had the Russians done the same to Billy? Hopper was going to destroy the entire world. </p><p>“The kind of experiments that give you kooky powers,” Kali said, rolling her eyes. She sounded like she was joking, but Hopper couldn’t be sure.  </p><p>“How did they capture you?” Hopper asked. He was becoming suspicious of Kali. She was intelligent, cunning, quick-witted, and contained quite a bit of self-preservation. She had powers, like El, and Hopper had seen her use them when she helped defeat the Russians. She made them think that the building caught on fire when it was perfectly fine. There was no way the Russians could have captured her without somewhat of a fight. Unlike Billy and Hopper, who had both walked into the prison of their own free will. The first hole from the Upside Down into the world that Hopper and Billy knew led them straight into a Russian facility that would take Jim Hopper as a prisoner and Billy Hargrove as a science experiment. </p><p>“How did they keep you for so long?” Kali asked, not answering Hopper’s question. “You broke out of a Russian prison almost entirely on your own in under a day. That’s not something just anybody can do.”</p><p>“It’s kind of hard to stage a goddamn prison break when you’re being tortured every day,” Hopper said. </p><p>“Are you telling me that you broke out of prison, saved Hargrove, and escaped with me on the first day that they weren’t torturing you?” Kali asked. She sounded almost impressed.</p><p>“Yeah,” Hopper sighed, “that’s what I’m telling you.”</p><p>“What are you, some type of cop?” Kali asked. “An agent or something?”</p><p>“I’m the Police Chief of Hawkins, Indiana,” Hopper said. His voice was weary.</p><p>“Oh,” Kali said. Her voice changed, there was something dangerous in it. “So you’re Jane’s cop.”</p><p>“Wait,” Hopper said. He was tired and confused. So, so fucking confused. “What?”</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Thursday, December 26th, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jim Hopper, Kali Prasad, and Billy Hargrove were halfway to Hawkins, Indiana by seven in the morning. Kali kept herself entertained by watching the trees race by, Hopper turned up the music, and Billy had been sleeping for most of the ride.</p><p>“Do you think those… <em> things </em> followed us?” Kali asked, finally breaking the silence.</p><p>“The Russians or the monsters?” Hopper asked. He was driving over the speed limit by about 30 miles per hour but he didn’t give a single shit.</p><p>“Both,” Kali said. She examined her fingernails, “But I was referring to the monsters.”</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Hopper said. He was feeling very uneasy about the whole thing. If the demogorgons weren’t following them, then the Russians surely were. Not to mention that the Russians had whole files regarding the Byers family.</p><p>“Reach into my pocket,” Hopper said. </p><p>Kali looked at Hopper, her eyes narrow. “Excuse me?” She asked. </p><p>“Reach into my pocket,” Hopper repeated. “There should be a lot of papers in there.”</p><p>Kali sneered but complied. She pulled out the stacks of papers that detailed the Byers family, but her eyes widened when she read her last name on the top of one of the papers.</p><p>“Why is my name on this?” She asked. She scanned through what was written about her and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I hate this.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, welcome to the club,” Hopper said. “Read me the Byers’ files.”</p><p>“Fine,” Kali said. She shuffled through the papers, looking for the first file on the Byers. Before she could start reading Billy’s voice filled the car, “Hop, are you taking me back to my Dad’s house?”</p><p>Hopper sighed, “No, Billy. I’m gonna take you to the hospital after we meet up with a friend of mine. I’m not sure what they did to you.”</p><p>“Science experiment,” Billy mumbled. “I’m a goddamn science experiment.”</p><p>“I know, kid,” Hopper said quietly. </p><p>Kali looked between Hopper and Billy. “You’re not his dad?” Kali asked finally.</p><p>“No, I’m not.” Hopper said. Kali nodded her response and took to looking out her window again. </p><p>“Please don’t take me to the hospital,” Billy said. “I’m sick of doctors.”</p><p>“Billy,” Hopper said, “I have to take you to the goddamn doctors, maybe not a hospital, but definitely a doctor. I think I have a guy that can help us.” </p><p>“Who?” Billy asked. His eyes were closed and his hands ran through his hair. “What happened to my fucking hair?” </p><p>Hopper let out a long suffering sigh, “The Russians cut it off, kid. Don’t worry, it’ll grow back.”</p><p>“Whatever,” Billy said, his voice gruff. “What doctor?” He asked again.</p><p>“A man by the name of Sam Owens,” Hopper said. “He helped Will Byers out a year or so back and helped me adopt Jane at around the same time.”</p><p>“You adopted Jane?” Kali asked as Billy said, “Who’s Jane?”</p><p>“Jane is my daughter,” Hopper said, closing his eyes. He thought of El’s flannels and scrunchies and eggo waffles. “And yes, Kali, I adopted her.”</p><p>“Lovely,” Kali muttered, rolling her eyes as she resumed counting trees.</p><p>“El?” Billy said. “Are you talking about El? I like her. She’s,” his voice broke slightly, “nice.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Hopper said. “I’m talking about El.” Hopper turned toward Kali even though he was still driving. “We never talked about how you know El.”</p><p>“We’re sisters,” Kali said. Her voice was flat.</p><p>“I’m sorry, what?” Hopper asked, hoping to God that he had heard Kali wrong.</p><p>“We’re sisters,” Kali said again. She said it slowly this time as if Hopper was dumb and couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. Which was only partially true.</p><p>“Sisters,” Hopper said and his voice sounded a little hysterical even to him. “Sisters, that’s great. That’s great. That’s really great you know.”</p><p>“It’s bitchin’,” Kali said, and Hopper thought he was going to pass out. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Steve and Robin were lounging around the video store since business was slow on the day after Christmas. The first ding that singaled the opening of the door came when Max walked in, the skateboard Steve had bought her after Billy’s funeral under her arm, El following right behind her, her camera still wrapped around her neck. </p><p>Robin turned toward Steve, smirking at him. “Dingus,” Robin said, “some of your children are here.”</p><p>“Yeah, Robs,” Steve said, “I can see that.” </p><p>Max waved to Robin and Steve, El following suit. Robin and Steve waved back at the girls as they browsed the horror section.</p><p>“Are you guys looking for anything in particular?” Robin asked. </p><p>El looked at Max adoringly for an answer and when Max shrugged, both girls started laughing. “No,” El said finally. “Nothing in particular. Just looking.”</p><p>“Okay,” Steve said. He tapped his fingers on the countertop, “Let us know if you find anything. I’ll let you rent it for free.”</p><p>“Thanks, Harrington,” Max said, grinning broadly.</p><p>“Yeah,” El said, nodding. “Thanks, Harrington.” </p><p>Steve’s lips formed a thin line. Great, now he wasn’t even on a first name basis with two of the kids that he had put his life on the line for. He sighed as the door chimed open again. </p><p>“Robin,” Steve hissed, “it’s Tammy!”</p><p>Tammy Thompson walked in, her hair curled, her boots wet with snow, and her cheeks flushed from the cold. Robin swallowed hard.</p><p>“Be cool, Steve,” Robin whispered. </p><p>“Me be cool?” Steve asked, waving his hands back and forth between them as Robin turned away from him in order to organize a stack of movies before putting them back on the shelves. “If any of the two of us should be trying to be cool, Miss Flustered, it would definitely be -” Tammy rang the bell at the desk and Steve whipped around, saying too loudly, “Welcome to Family Video, how can I help you?”</p><p>Tammy hid a laugh behind her hand before placing the documentary <em> Before Stonewall </em> on the counter, “I just wanted to return this.”</p><p>“Yeah, sure,” Steve said, taking it off of the counter and writing in a booklet that Tammy had returned the documentary she borrowed. “Robin, what’s the date?”</p><p>“Considering yesterday was Christmas, and Christmas is always December 25th, do the math yourself, dingus,” Robin replied. </p><p>“Mmm,” Steve said, writing the date on the sheet of paper. “Charming as always,” he muttered. Tammy laughed again. “Just sign here,” Steve said, handing Tammy the pen and pointing at the line she had to sign.</p><p>“How was it?” Steve asked awkwardly, motioning toward the movie. </p><p>“Very informational,” Tammy said. “Robin, have you seen it?” Tammy’s voice was a little too innocent and it made a flush dust Robin’s cheeks, much to Steve’s amusement.</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Robin said, turning around from her stack of halfway alphabetized movies to take a sip of the coke she had left on the counter and to face Tammy. “What’s it called again?” She had helped Tammy find the documentary section on Monday, but Keith had needed her help in the back, and Steve had finished checking Tammy’s movie out.  </p><p>“<em>Before Stonewall</em>,” Tammy said, analyzing Robin’s reaction, which was choking on her drink before trying to cover it up with a cough.</p><p>“Oh,” Robin said weakly. “Really?” </p><p>“Yeah,” Tammy said. “It was a good movie.”</p><p>“I bet it was,” Robin said. She coughed again. “Should I watch it?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Tammy said, her big green eyes looking directly at Robin. “But it’s more of a movie you watch with someone else.”</p><p>“Really?” Robin asked, her face turning pinker by the second. Steve hopped on the counter and sat a little bit away from Tammy and Robin so he could watch as Tammy leaned on her hand and smirked at Robin, who looked more flustered than Steve had ever seen her before. </p><p>“Really,” Tammy said. “You know, I wouldn’t mind watching it again.”</p><p>“Was it that good?” Robin asked, biting her bottom lip.</p><p>“Yeah,” Tammy said, her eyes were flashing with mischief. “Maybe we should watch it some time.” Steve gaped at Tammy’s forwardness.</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, nodding. She looked about ready to spontaneously combust. </p><p>“I’ll call you,” Tammy said. “And we can set up a date.” Tammy seemed to be deliberate in her word choice. </p><p>“A date?” Robin asked, smiling softly. </p><p>“Yeah,” Tammy said, her glossy lips forming a shit eating grin. “A date.” Her smile faltered. “If that’s cool?”</p><p>“It’s cool!” Robin blurted out. “Like so cool.”</p><p>“Good,” Tammy said, handing Robin the pen. Their fingers touched and Robin turned, if possible, even redder. “Have a good day! I’ll call you around seven!”</p><p>“Cool!” Robin said weakly, tugging on her right ear. </p><p>“Yeah,” Tammy said then turned around and walked out of the video store, the door dinging behind her. Robin turned toward Steve, her blue eyes wide.</p><p>“What the fuck just happened?” Robin asked, genuinely perplexed.</p><p>“You, Robin Buckley, are about to have a fucking date,” Steve said, poking one of her pink cheeks.</p><p>“Holy shit,” Robin said breathlessly.</p><p>“Holy shit,” Steve agreed.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Dustin and Suzie were laying across Steve’s pull out couch, marveling at just how big the Harrington household was. It was the day after Christmas, and the two of them were enjoying each other’s company while Steve and Robin were at work.</p><p>“Are you going to camp this summer?” Dustin asked, rolling over onto his stomach so that he could face Suzie. She grinned at him, her brown eyes sparkling behind her wide-rimmed glasses. Dustin’s stomach flipped and he thought about how lucky he was to be with a girl who was such a catch; she was more intelligent than anyone else he knew, she was witty and charming and funny, a girl who was hotter than Phoebe Cates. </p><p>“Yes,” Suzie said, turning onto her stomach so that she could look up at her boyfriend. “Are you?”</p><p>Dustin nodded, “I’m going to miss my friends though. A whole month without the party’s gonna suck.”</p><p>Suzie nodded, and placed her hand on Dustin’s back. “I wish I had a friend group as close as yours.” </p><p>Dustin kissed Suzie’s cheek, “My friends are your friends.”</p><p>Suzie laughed, “You’re very sweet, Dusty Bun. But it’s not really the same thing.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, Suzie Pooh,” Dustin said sheepishly. “I’m excited to be with you for a whole month this summer. That’ll be great.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Suzie agreed, she sat up, pulling Dustin up with her. She kissed him on the mouth, their teeth clanking together awkwardly. </p><p>“Sorry about the teeth,” Dustin said when they pulled away.</p><p>Suzie giggled, “I think I can get used to them.”</p><p>“Really?” Dustin asked.</p><p>“Oh, positively,” Suzie said, grinning from ear to ear.</p><p>“Oh,” Dustin grinned, laughing a little bit, “good.”</p><p>When they kissed again, Dustin’s happiness burned brighter than the sun itself. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Will and Mike were out on Will’s new swingset, taking turns pushing each other on the swing, fighting over which one of them would be swinging and which one of them would be pushing. </p><p>“It’s my swing, Mike,” Will said, a smile on his lips. “I get to swing this time.”</p><p>“What? Dude!” Mike said. “You’ve been swinging for like 20 minutes!”</p><p>“So?” Will asked, quirking an eyebrow at Mike. “What’s your point?”</p><p>Mike’s lips twisted awkwardly. “I guess I don’t have a point,” he said.</p><p>Will grinned and started swinging again. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” The two boys smiled at one another until Will had to turn away, his cheeks pink, not quite seeing that Mike’s face was turning red as well, and not just because of the cold.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Lucas was so sick and tired of his family. Not his parents, who were kind and thoughtful and gave him the best advice when he needed it. But of Erica, and his cousins, who were loud and argumentative and irritating.</p><p>“Hey nerd,” Erica said, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe of Lucas’ bedroom. The Sinclair’s Day After Christmas Party was still loud and raging downstairs and Lucas was escaping from the noise through his bedroom, closing the door and reading some new comic books. “I’m going out with you and your nerd friends later today. Just so you know.”</p><p>“Ugh,” Lucas groaned. “Why?”</p><p>“Because,” Erica said, her eyes narrowing, “you wouldn’t let me join your Christmas festivities and the sailor boy and his sidekick owe me ice cream.”</p><p>“Why do Steve and Robin owe you ice cream?” Lucas asked incredulously. “It’s the middle of winter!”</p><p>“So?” Erica asked.</p><p>“Get out of my bedroom, Erica,” Lucas said. </p><p>“I’m not in your bedroom, nerd,” Erica said.</p><p>Lucas sighed, “Just leave me alone. Tell me when Steve gets here. I want a ride to the Wheeler’s.”</p><p>“Okay,” Erica said, smiling happily. She had gotten her way yet again.</p><p>~~~</p><p>El and Max were back from the video store and in Billy’s bedroom. Max’s parents were out; Neil had gotten Max’s mother dinner reservations at Enzo’s for the day after Christmas, and they were shopping before they ate. Max’s mom loved the after Christmas sales.</p><p>“Why are we here?” El asked, looking around. “Do you miss him?”</p><p>Max shrugged then shook her head. “No. I mean yes. I miss him.”</p><p>El’s eyes were wide and confused, “If you miss him, why are you shaking your head?”</p><p>“He was a complete jackass,” Max whispered, her red hair glinting in the room light. “But, he cared about me. I didn’t realize it for awhile, but I do now.”</p><p>“What made you realize it?” El asked.</p><p>Max sat down on Billy’s bed and El sat next to her. There was a piece of hair falling out of Max’s braid and El tucked it behind her ear. They shared pained smiles before Max said, “Neil, he, well.” Max’s lips formed a tight line before she said, “He was about to slap me but Billy stood between us. I swear, I almost called Steve to come and get Billy after Neil was done with him, to have him take him to Hopper or the hospital or someone. But,” Max’s voice lowered, “Billy didn’t want help. And then, well, Billy saved us from the-the-the <em> monster </em> and that’s how I knew he really cared about me.” She paused for a second, contemplating something with a strained expression on her face. “And last year was only really bad because we moved because of me.”</p><p>“I thought you moved because of a… divorce,” El said, struggling with the word “divorce” for a moment. </p><p>“We did, kind of,” Max said as she shifted uncomfortably.</p><p>“What happened?” El asked.</p><p>“I saw Billy kissing someone.”</p><p>“Good screams?” El asked. </p><p>Max shook her head, “No, they weren’t… Anyway, I saw him kissing another boy,” she whispered. “El, I saw Billy kissing another boy.”</p><p>“Is that bad?” El asked, her eyebrows knit in confusion.</p><p>“No!” Max said loudly, awkwardly. “No, no it’s not bad. It’s not bad at all. It’s just some people really don’t like it when two boys kiss or when two girls kiss. I’m not sure why, it’s just that some people don’t like it at all. And I accidentally told Neil that Billy was with a boy and not a girl and, well, we moved the next week.”</p><p>“Because Neil doesn’t like Billy kissing boys?”</p><p>“Well, yeah,” Max said. “He told everyone it was to get a fresh start away from my dad, but we all knew it was because he didn’t want Billy to be around that boy anymore.”</p><p>“Oh,” El said. “Neil is a bad man.”</p><p>“Yes,” Max said, biting her bottom lip. “Neil is a bad man and an even worse father.”</p><p>El reached forward and touched Max’s bottom lip with her thumb, wiping away the blood that dripped from where Max had bitten it, and Max turned as red as her hair.</p><p>“El,” Max whispered.</p><p>“Max,” El said. </p><p>Max turned away from El sharply, making El jump a little.</p><p>“Sorry!” Max said, her voice loud and awkward and high pitched. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” El said. “It’s okay.” She took Max’s hands in hers. “I promise.”</p><p>“Okay,” Max said, nodding. “If you say so.” </p><p>“Friends don’t lie, Max,” El said seriously.</p><p>“I know,” Max said. She smiled and El smiled back. “Do you wanna watch the movie we rented? It smells like boy in here.”</p><p>“It smells like Billy in here,” El said. “Smells nice.”</p><p>Max nodded sadly. “I miss him,” she said.</p><p>“I know,” El said. She touched the pendant of Billy’s necklace that hung around Max’s neck. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Max said. “Yeah.” Her voice became quiet, insecure, as she asked, “Can we stay in here for a while longer?”</p><p>“Yeah,” El nodded as Max climbed back on the bed. They ended up underneath Billy’s blankets, sleeping in the middle of the afternoon surrounded by each other and the lingering smell of stale booze and old cigarettes and Billy’s cologne.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Joyce was sitting with Jonathan on the Wheeler couch when they caught a moment alone together. </p><p>“How are you holding up, Mom?” Jonathan asked, looking at Joyce with slinted, concerned eyes.</p><p>“I’m okay, Jonathan,” Joyce said. “Don’t worry about me. It’s Christmas time, honey. You’re visiting your girlfriend! I should be the last thing on your mind.”</p><p>“Mom, I know being in Hawkins is hard for you. It’s hard for us both.” He took Joyce’s hands in his. “How are you doing? Seriously.”</p><p>“It’s just hard, honey,” Joyce said. Her eyes were flitting around the room nervously. “It’s just difficult. But I’m having a good time, too, Jonathan. Karen’s been nice and seeing you and El and Will so happy is great.”</p><p>“Mom,” Jonathan said, letting go of her hands. “You can talk to me, you know.”</p><p>“I know, honey,” Joyce said, a small smile on her lips. She ruffled Jonathan’s hair. “I’m okay.” She kissed Jonathan’s forehead. “Go have fun with your girlfriend.”</p><p>“She’s working on something for the Hawkins Post,” Jonathan said, a smile on his face.</p><p>Joyce rubbed his cheek, “It’s great seeing you so happy. Go hang out with Will or something. Have some fun, sweetheart!”</p><p>“Will probably doesn’t want me interrupting his time with Mike,” Jonathan said.</p><p>Joyce smiled wryly at Jonathan, “True. They seem so happy together.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Jonathan said, his voice heavy, “they do.” He looked down before saying, “Mom?”</p><p>“Yeah?” Joyce said, looking at him with concern.</p><p>“Do you think Will’s okay?” Jonathan asked. </p><p>“Yes,” Joyce said sharply, a hint of panic in her voice, “Why wouldn’t he be?”</p><p>Jonathan shrugged. Jonathan thought of his douchebag of a father calling Will a faggot when they were younger. Jonathan thought of the way Will looked at Mike, how Will felt like he never fit in, how he never had any interest in girls. Jonathan remembered how last summer Will was upset because Mike had a girlfriend, not because Lucas or Dustin had a girlfriend, but because Mike, his best friend, his whole entire world, was ditching him for a girl.</p><p>“I don’t know, Mom,” Jonathan finally said, sighing. He couldn’t put what he was thinking into words, at least not to his mother. “I guess I just worry.”</p><p>“There’s nothing to worry about, Jonathan,” Joyce said, the panic still in her voice. “Please, honey, it’s okay. There’s no more monsters to worry about.” </p><p>Jonathan nodded again, not quite knowing how to say that while there were no demogorgons and interdimensional demons to fear, there were still very real, very human monsters to worry about. “You’re right,” he said. “There’s nothing to worry about.”</p><p>Joyce stood up suddenly and Jonathan could tell she was making a split second decision when she said, “I’m going to call Murray.” </p><p>“Mom,” Jonathan said, panic now in his voice as he stood up with her, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”</p><p>“I’m not upset,” Joyce said. “Sometimes I just want to talk to friends too, you know.” She flashed him a half-hearted smile before ruffling his hair again. “I’m not upset, okay?”</p><p>Jonathan nodded, “Okay,” he relented. </p><p>But Jonathan knew his mother and he knew that she only called Murray when she was upset about Hopper and everything that happened over the summer. He sighed, putting his head in his hands. He wanted to scream but couldn’t muster the courage to do so.</p><p>~~~</p><p>When Joyce called Murray, it went straight to voicemail: </p><p>
  <em>“Hi. You have reached the residence of Murray Bauman. Mom, if this is you, please hang up and call me between the hours of five and six p.m. as previously discussed. Okay? And if this is Joyce, Joyce, thank you for calling. I've been trying to reach you. I have an update. It's about — well, it's probably best if we speak in person, it's not good or bad but it's something. And if this is anyone but my mother or Joyce, well, you think you're real clever getting my number don't you? Well, here's some breaking news for you. You're not clever. You're not special. You are simply one of the many, many nimwits to call here, and the closest you'll ever get to me is this pre-recorded message. So, at the beep, do me a favor. Hang up and never call here again. You are a parasite. Thank you and good day!” </em>
</p><p>After the line beeped, Joyce left him a message, “Hi, Murray, it’s Joyce. I’ll be there as soon as possible. I’m sorry that I haven’t been calling as much lately.” Joyce closed her eyes. She hadn’t called Murray in weeks. Shit, Thanksgiving was the last time she called, right? She hung up the phone before saying anything else.</p><p>“Shit,” Joyce muttered to herself. For the first time since she moved, she could feel hope welling in her chest. But how long ago had Murray recorded that voicemail? She rushed back into the living room where Jonathan sat numbly on the couch listening to his walkman. </p><p>“Jonathan,” Joyce said. He looked up at her and pulled off his headphones. “I’m going out. I’ll be back later and don’t hold dinner for me. Please watch Will and make sure El gets back safe, okay?”</p><p>“Okay,” Jonathan said. He was looking worried again.</p><p>“Everything’s okay,” Joyce said. “I’m just visiting Murray. I’ve forgotten how long it’s been since I’ve seen him.”</p><p>“Okay,” Jonathan said, still looking skeptical. “If something’s wrong, you know where to find me.”</p><p>Joyce nodded. She kissed Jonathan’s forehead again and said, “I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too, Mom.” Joyce was about to walk out of the door when Jonathan called after her, “Be careful!”</p><p>“I will be,” Joyce said firmly. Then she stomped out of the Wheeler’s house and into her car. She drove away as fast as she could. </p><p>~~~</p><p>“Hop,” Kali said, “where exactly are you taking us?”</p><p>“An old friend of mine’s,” Hopper said. “Murray Bauman’s place. It’s practically a fortress. It’s the safest place I know.”</p><p>“Murray Bauman?” Billy asked. “Didn’t he write the article about the chemical leak that killed that girl a few years back?”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s him,” Hopper said. “Wait. How do you know about that?”</p><p>“It made national news,” Billy said, sounding annoyed. “Weird as shit news doesn’t exclusively air in Hawkins you know.”</p><p>Hopper was rapidly losing his patience with both of the teenagers in his car. Sure Kali was El’s sister, but that didn’t make her any more tolerable. And yeah, Hopper and Billy had a fuckton of shared trauma at this point - spending weeks with each other in the Upside Down before becoming prisoners in a Russian facility - but that didn’t make Billy’s moodiness any easier to handle. </p><p>“I know,” Hopper said through gritted teeth. He turned up the radio and wished they had time to stop for a pack of cigarettes. Goddamn did Hopper want a fucking cigarette.</p><p>“When will we be there?” Kali asked, face turned toward the window. She was counting trees again. </p><p>“About an hour,” Hopper said, sighing. He was frustrated and strung out and sore. His ribs and face and stomach were all still bruised and bloody and raw. At this point, Jim Hopper longed for four things: his daughter, Joyce Byers, a cigarette, and sleep.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Thursday, December 26th, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Joyce pulled into Murray’s driveway, she could tell that an unfamiliar car was parked there, making her both nervous and excited at the same time. It was probably just Murray’s mother, but there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of Joyce’s stomach. She clenched her fists, her nails pressing crescent shaped indents into her palms as she stood at Murray’s doorway. She pressed the button and looked up at Murray’s camera, the front door opening immediately for her as rough hands pulled her in and locked the door quickly behind her. </p><p>“What the hell, Murray?” Joyce said, brushing his hands off of her. “Don’t manhandle me. You’ve wanted to get in touch with me for awhile now and I’m sorry that I haven’t been around, but-”</p><p>“Joyce!” Murray said, his voice rushed and low and stern as he interrupted her. “We’re going to go to my living room now and you cannot, <em>cannot</em>, freak out when you see who’s in there.”</p><p>The sinking feeling of anxiety raged on in Joyce’s stomach as she and Murray entered his living room. “Why the hell would I-” her voice trailed off and her eyes widened as she took in the sight of Murray’s couch. Hopper was passed out, a pack of frozen peas on his face as that boy Billy Hargrove sprawled out next to him, sleeping, his face pressed into his shoulder, an icepack on his chest. There was a girl with dark skin and even darker, matted hair who was eating cereal from a cup as she sat on the arm of the couch.</p><p>“How in the hell is this not good fucking news, Murray?” Joyce asked. She didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry so she did both, bursting into tears while laughing with her whole chest, her body shaking as Murray wrapped his arms around her.</p><p>“It’s okay, Joyce,” Murray said into her hair. “It’s okay.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>The phone rang, crisp and clear, into the near emptiness of Family Video. Steve and Robin looked at each other, raising their eyebrows and having a silent conversation. Finally, Steve relented and picked up the phone, “Family Video, Steve speaking, how may I help you?”</p><p>“Code red,” El’s voice picked up from the other line, her voice deadly calm, making anxiety well in Steve’s stomach. “Steve, this is a code red. Help. Please.”</p><p>“Where are you?” Steve asked. His tone of voice made Robin turn toward him, her expression concerned. </p><p>“We’re at the payphone on Cherry Lane,” El said.</p><p>“<em>We </em>?” Steve asked. He racked his brain for which of the kids lived on Cherry Lane. “Are you with Max?” He said, and there was an uncomfortable feeling welling in Steve’s chest. Steve closed his eyes. He thought of how Billy used to show up to school, littered with bruises, snarling, “You should see the other guy, King Steve”. But there was never any other guy in school that looked as beat up or worse than him. Steve knew that it must’ve been Billy’s father that left those marks (Steve knew an asshole father when he saw one (and Max told him about it one night when she couldn’t sleep)) and Steve wanted to help, he just didn’t know how. He and Hargrove weren’t exactly friends. So he offered Max rides around town when he could. Once, when Billy could barely walk to his classes, Steve left a pack of cigarettes in Billy’s locker with a sticky note that read: "Feel better soon, asshole". It was stupid, in retrospect. Steve would’ve gotten his ass handed to him if Billy had ever figured out it was Steve “The Hair” Harrington who had left them for him. The more Steve thought about Billy, the more grateful he was that his bat was still in his car; it would be put to use again if Neil had laid a hand on Max. </p><p>“Yes,” El said, her voice was quiet. “She is hurt.”</p><p>“I’ll be there in five minutes,” Steve said.</p><p>“Thank you,” El whispered. She hung up the phone, but not before Steve could hear her telling Max, “It’s okay. Steve is coming to help.”</p><p>Robin looked at Steve, her blue eyes wide and worried, “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“It’s Max,” Steve said. “She’s hurt apparently. Robin,” Steve said, “you gotta cover for me. Keith’ll fire me if I step a toe out of line.”</p><p>“Of course I’ll cover for you, dingus,” Robin said, her voice low. “Go help Max out. Call me when things get sorted out, okay?” </p><p>Steve flashed her a forced smile, “I wouldn’t want to interrupt your date.”</p><p>“You and Max are more important than a date, Harrington,” Robin said. “And my date isn’t until after seven. Now go.”</p><p>Steve didn’t know how to respond to Robin’s statement so he jumped over the counter and ran out of the store, the door dinging behind him. Two seconds later he was speeding to the payphone located on Cherry Lane, hoping that everything was going to be okay.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Will and Mike were in Mike’s basement drinking hot chocolate and warming up from their time on the swingset. They were throwing marshmallows at one another, trying to see if they could catch them with their mouths instead of letting them drop to the floor. </p><p>“Open your mouth wider, dumbass,” Mike said, no malice in his voice, just laughter. He threw a marshmallow towards Will’s face and it landed perfectly on Will’s tongue. Mike grinned at his accomplishment and Will happily ate the marshmallow before taking another gulp of hot chocolate.</p><p>“I wish you could be around all the time,” Mike said, not quite meeting Will’s eyes. “The party’s not the same without you.”</p><p>Will shrugged, trying with all of his might to not blush at Mike’s statement. “I mean, the party’s branching out anyway.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Mike said. “And it sucks.”</p><p>“I think Suzie’s great,” Will said.</p><p>“Yeah Suzie’s great,” Mike said. “But what if Max comes back with a boyfriend and he’s terrible? What happens when you start dating someone?” Mike was clearly getting agitated. </p><p>Will put a hand on Mike’s shoulder. He thought of the way Max had touched her cheek as if the stars finally aligned when El had kissed her. “I wouldn’t worry about Max bringing back a boy any time soon,” he said. Will took a deep breath. “And I don’t want to date anybody either.” It was a half truth, but he didn’t care. “Why would I want to date someone when I have you?” Will knocked their shoulders together and Mike smiled. Will wanted to crawl into a hole, could he be any more flirtatious? </p><p>“Oh,” Mike said. There was a faint smile on his lips, “Really?”</p><p>“Really,” Will said. Mike grinned, sloppy and wide and lopsided, and butterflies erupted in Will’s stomach. Their cheeks were both rapidly turning pink so Will cut the tension by whipping a marshmallow at Mike’s face, smacking him right in the eye.</p><p>“Dude!” Mike said, standing up from where he was previously seated. “What the hell?” He was laughing. He threw a marshmallow at Will, not bothering to get it in his mouth and soon both boys were laughing hysterically as they raged war with each other through marshmallows. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Nancy and Jonathan were laying in Nancy’s bedroom, Jonathan sprawled across her bed, Nancy’s body halfway on top of his. Music filled her room, “Your Song” by Elton John playing into the air, Nancy singing along, Jonathan marveling at how wonderful she was. </p><p>Nancy ran her fingers through Jonathan’s hair and asked, quietly, “Are you still worried about your Mom?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Jonathan said, nodding. </p><p>“Do you want to go to Murray’s?” Nancy asked, now fully pulling her attention away from the music and onto Jonathan. “It’s not like we don’t know where he lives.” A blush dusted her cheeks when she thought of what happened that night at Murray’s. </p><p>“Yeah, you’re right,” Jonathan said, sitting up and Nancy sat up as well. “We need to find my mother.” </p><p>“Okay,” Nancy said. “I’m going to go tell the boys that we’re leaving.” She kissed Jonathan sweetly on the lips. “Try not to worry too much, okay?” Jonathan nodded and she got off the bed, slipped on a pair of boots and walked down the stairs, Jonathan following closely behind her after he turned off the record.</p><p>~~~</p><p>When Steve neared the payphone he could make out the figures of Max and El. They were sitting in the snow, their arms linked, Max’s long red hair covering all of her face. He slowed to a stop in front of them and hopped out of his car.</p><p>“Hey,” Steve said, kneeling in front of the two girls. “Max, can you look at me?” She shook her head in response, making a great deal of effort to make sure her hair remained in front of her face. Steve turned toward El, “What happened?”</p><p>“A bad man hit her,” El said, “hard.” She looked down at the camera strap around her neck, which no longer held a camera. “He broke the camera Jonathan gave me.” </p><p>Steve took a deep breath as he stood up, “Get in the car. We’re going to see Nancy and Jonathan, is that alright?” Max nodded and she and El followed suit, standing up and finding a seat in Steve’s car.</p><p>When they got to the Wheeler’s house, Jonathan and Nancy were on the front porch, Nancy locking the door behind them. They turned around when they heard the sound of a car parking and walked toward them as Steve, Max, and El got out of the car. </p><p>“Steve?” Nancy asked. She looked at Max, whose hair was still covering her face and then took in the sight of El. She was wet from the snow, her hair ruffled, her camera strap holding nothing, and her eyes nervous.</p><p>“Did something happen?” Jonathan asked, glancing between Nancy and the girls. “Max, El, are you okay?” </p><p>El shrugged helplessly and said, “He broke my camera.”</p><p>Jonathan turned toward Steve looking angry and mildly confused, “You broke her camera?” </p><p>“No! Look, man,” Steve said, glancing at the ground, “I didn’t break her camera, someone else did. I’m sorry I interrupted but,” he ran a hand through his hair, “I wasn’t sure where else to bring them.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Nancy said, nodding reassuringly. She turned toward Jonathan. “You should go without me.”</p><p>“Nance,” Jonathan said quietly. “I should stay here if El’s hurt.”</p><p>She looked at him, her eyebrows raised, “I’m right,” Nancy said stubbornly. “Steve and I can take care of this.”</p><p>“I know,” Jonathan said, rolling his eyes. But he was smiling. Nancy handed him the car keys. “Drive safely, okay?”</p><p>Jonathan nodded and started toward Nancy’s car. Nancy looked at the three of them, “You better come inside. Max,” Nancy said quietly, “you’re going to be okay, I promise.”</p><p>“Friends don’t lie,” El said. The four of them walked back into the Wheeler household, Nancy taking a moment to unlock the front door for them.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Robin fiddled with her ear nervously as Keith grilled her. He was asking her where Steve was, and why Steve was being so unhelpful. She wished for a long moment that she had Nancy’s gun or Steve’s nail-bat. </p><p>“Look, Keith,” Robin said, her voice low and rough. She blinked up at him, wishing that anyone was in the store. “I know Steve isn’t here right now, but,” her voice lowered, “he’s dealing with a family issue right now.”</p><p>Keith glared at her. “What type of family issue?”</p><p>Robin’s voice got, if possible, even quieter, “I don’t know. But what I do know is that you don’t want the most influential family in Hawkins to be pissed at you because you were an ass to their only child during a moment of family weakness.”</p><p>“I thought that the Harringtons were out of town this week,” Keith said, picking at his fingernails. </p><p>Robin groaned internally, hating Steve’s parents for the millionth time for not being around for their son more often. “Well that’s even more of a reason to let Steve deal with this situation on his own terms and not be an asshole about it. How would the wealthiest family in Hawkins like it if you didn’t let their son - need I remind you, their only child - deal with such a traumatic experience the way he needed to, while they were out of town, not being able to care for him themselves?”</p><p>“You have a point, Robin,” Keith said, running his tongue over his teeth grossly and Robin wanted to roll her eyes. </p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, nodding. She motioned at the stack of movies she was organizing. “I have work to do now, if you don’t mind.”</p><p>“I don’t mind at all,” Keith said. Robin could feel Keith’s eyes on her as she placed the movies back on the correct shelves around the store. It made her skin crawl. She felt sick. Robin longed for Nancy’s gun or Steve’s nail-bat again.</p><p>~~~ </p><p>Nancy sat Max on one of her kitchen counters. She ran a soothing hand through Max’s hair and she and Steve both held back gasps at the sight of Max’s face; her lip was split, there was a thick cut running from her hairline to her chin, and her left eye was swollen shut, already bruising. </p><p>“I’m going to kill him,” Steve said, a note of finality in his voice. His jaw was clenched, “Max, say the word and I’ll fucking kill him.”</p><p>“Steve,” Nancy said, slowly, deliberately, “There’s a first aid kit in the upstairs bathroom. Get me it. Now.”</p><p>Steve nodded in response and left the room, running up the stairs noisily, leaving Nancy, El, and Max in the kitchen.</p><p>“Neil did this?” Nancy asked and Max nodded, bursting into tears. “Max-” Nancy continued, her voice soft when Max cut her off. </p><p>“You don’t understand!” Max shrieked, tears pouring down her cheeks, the water mixing with the blood that was already streaked across her cheeks, smearing it all over her face. “You don’t understand! You don’t fucking understand! The only person who understood was Billy!” Max was sobbing so hard her breaths were becoming uneasy and her fingertips were becoming numb. “And he’s gone and you all hated him!” She was hyperventilating, sobbing, “You all fucking hated him! And he hated me too! He hated me, El!” Max’s voice was rough and raw and loud and awful as Steve clambered down the stairs, placing the first aid kit on the counter next to Max, who was tugging on Billy’s pendant that hung around her neck. “Nancy! Steve! Nancy! I can’t breathe!” Max was gasping for breath, begging for help as she screamed, “I don’t know what’s happening! I can’t breathe, El! I’m dying! I think I’m dying! I don’t know what’s happening! I can’t fucking breathe!”</p><p>Nancy, not sure what to do, wrapped Max in her arms and Steve said, his voice soft, from behind Nancy, “Hey Max, what are five things you can see around you?” Nancy shot him a glare but continued rubbing Max’s back soothingly. He held a stare at Nancy that said: <em> trust me with this. </em></p><p>“Your floppy hair,” Max hiccuped, “El’s blue shirt. Nancy’s eyeliner. The stained countertops. The basement door.”</p><p>“Good,” Steve said, his voice still gentle, as if he was talking to a cornered animal, “Can you tell me four things that you can touch?”</p><p>Max nodded, her breath still very uneven, “Nancy’s hand on my back. The countertops underneath me. The wrinkles on the jeans I’m wearing,” Max was wheezing less as she said, “Billy’s necklace.”</p><p>“You’re doing great,” Steve said, making sure his voice was as sincere and calm as possible.</p><p>“Really?” Max asked, her voice shaky and her breathing still on the verge of another anxiety attack.</p><p>“Really,” Steve assured her. “What are three things you can hear?” He asked.</p><p>“Your voice,” Max whispered, her breath finally starting to even out. “Nancy’s breathing, the ticking of the clock.”</p><p>“And two things you can smell?”</p><p>“Nancy’s perfume. El’s lipgloss.”</p><p>“And one thing you can taste?”</p><p>“Blood.” Max’s breathing was almost completely regulated and Steve worked her through a few deep breaths before she completely calmed down, and he made sure she drank a glass of water. </p><p>“Max,” El said, her voice soft as she threaded their fingers together once Max’s was fully recovered, Nancy sending Steve an awed smile, “Billy loved you.”</p><p>“How do you know?” Max asked, hiccuping. </p><p>“He drove you to the arcade,” El said. “He bought you a skateboard for your first Christmas in Hawkins. Max,” El whispered, “He forgave you and you forgave him.”</p><p>“El,” Max said softly and El brushed Max’s tears off of her face as Nancy stepped away from Max and El took Nancy’s place. El was slotted between Max’s legs, hugging her tightly. El’s fingertips on Max’s skin were as light as a feather. Steve and Nancy shared a look as the two girls pressed their foreheads together. They appeared to be asking each other the same question: <em>Why would Billy need to forgive Max?</em></p><p>“Billy loved his mom,” El said. “Billy loved the beach and the sun and the way the sand would fill his toes. Billy,” El squeezed their fingers, “loved his mom and he loved the beach and he loved you.”</p><p>Max nodded, her crying finally over, “What else did he love?”</p><p>“He loved California,” El said, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to remember. “He loved surfing and basketball and metallica and his necklace.” El tapped the pendant that Max wore around her neck. “He would love that you wear that.”</p><p>“Really?” Max asked quietly, her voice small.</p><p>“Yes,” El said. She paused before saying, “Billy loved his hair.” Max let out a wet, dry laugh at that and looked at El, wanting her to continue telling her about her brother. “Billy loved the summer,” El said. “He loved helping you learn how to skateboard.” Nancy and Steve shared another look as Max sobbed again. Nancy moved toward Max to comfort her when Steve grabbed Nancy’s arm. Nancy nodded, understanding what Steve meant. This was a moment between El and Max, the only two people in the world who shared the same amount of grief over Billy Hargrove’s death. </p><p>“Billy loved Rob Lowe,” El said firmly. “Billy thought he was pretty. Like Steve.” Nancy turned toward Steve, her eyebrows raised as a blush dusted his cheeks. Steve pointedly looked at the floor rather than at Nancy or the girls. Steve’s heart was pounding and he closed his eyes, making peace with the fact that he was going to be haunted by Billy Hargrove for a long, long time.</p><p>“Billy loved working at the pool,” El continued. “He loved that Mrs. Wheeler gave him attention,” El said. Nancy raised her eyebrows again and Steve’s eyes blinked open at El’s statement. “No one else ever paid him any attention. Not since his mom. So he loved Mrs. Wheeler.” El closed her eyes and so did Max.</p><p>Steve and Nancy shared another look, Nancy asking Steve another question with just her facial expression: <em> Did Billy fucking Hargrove have a thing for you and my </em> <b> <em>mother</em></b><em>? </em> Steve refused to respond to Nancy’s silent question with anything other than a helpless shrug.</p><p>“Billy loved a lot of things,” El said. “And Billy loved you.”</p><p>Max nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered. El took a napkin from the counter and gently wiped more of Max’s tears and blood away. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Why?” El asked, her eyes wide and questioning. “You don’t have to be sorry.”</p><p>“Okay,” Max said. She looked at El. “Do you miss Hopper?” She whispered.</p><p>El nodded, “I miss him. Differently than you miss Billy.”</p><p>“What?” Max asked.</p><p>“I miss him and I know he misses me too so I am not so upset anymore,” El said. “You are upset because you don’t know that Billy misses you.”</p><p>“Oh,” Max said numbly.</p><p>“I love you,” El said suddenly. Her brown eyes bored into Max’s blue eyes. El meant it with her whole being; she loved Max from the depths of her belly through the tips of her fingers. </p><p>“I love you,” Max said. Her voice was quiet when she said, a hint of a smirk on her face, “Do you think this will scar?” She motioned to the deep slash across her face.</p><p>“Yes,” El nodded. “Bitchin’.” Max grinned as much as she could with a fat lip in response to El’s statement and both Steve and Nancy marveled at how quickly Max appeared to bounce back from her emotional distress.</p><p>“Hey, Max?” Nancy asked tentatively. “Would you like me to help patch you up now?”</p><p>Max nodded, “Thank you. Both of you,” Max said, looking at Steve.</p><p>“Of course,” Steve said. “I wouldn’t be the best babysitter in Hawkins if I let you freeze to death outside a payphone with a battered face.”</p><p>“True,” Max said. She and Steve shared smiles.</p><p>El jumped on the counter and sat next to Max. Their hands were still interlocked, El’s head on Max’s shoulder as Nancy dressed Max’s wounds.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Lucas was lounging around his room, sifting through comic books, waiting for Steve’s shift at Family Video to end. He was bored. Mind numbingly, astoundingly bored. Lucas could hear Erica yelling at their cousins downstairs, and rolled his eyes when his walkie talkie crackled: “Lucas, do you copy?” </p><p>Lucas ran to his walkie talkie and pressed down on the button, “Yes, Will, I copy.”</p><p>“Code red!” Mike’s voice said, panicky and too high pitched. It made Lucas’ stomach drop unpleasantly. “Something happened with Max, come to my house soon.”</p><p>“What happened?” Lucas asked, gathering his helmet from under his bed.</p><p>“We’re not sure,” Will said. “But it’s bad, she’s screaming about Billy.”</p><p>“You’re not with her?” Lucas asked, his tone of voice dangerous. </p><p>“No,” Mike said. “We’re in the basement and she’s upstairs with Nancy and Steve and El.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Will said, “I didn’t think she’d want any more people crowding her right now, she’s really screaming.”</p><p>“When do you want me over?” Lucas asked. The line went dead for a minute before the walkie talkie crackled again. Will’s voice said, “Fifteen minutes. Get Dustin, he wouldn’t answer. I think his walkie talkie is out of batteries again.” </p><p>“He’s at his house, right?” Lucas asked, thinking about places Dustin would bring Suzie - the quarry? the woods? the arcade?</p><p>“He’s at Steve’s,” Mike said. “Remember? He was telling us about that last night.”</p><p>“Right!” Lucas said, still worried about Max. “I’m gonna head to Steve’s now, over and out!”</p><p>“Hurry! Over and out,” Will and Mike said in unison and Lucas’ walkie talkie stopped crackling. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Jonathan rang the doorbell to Murray’s house, his face looking up at the camera. The door swung open, and he was immediately pulled inside the house. Before he could blink, the door was locked and bolted behind him. Jonathan felt disoriented, but he could hear his mom crying in the living room and followed Murray toward his sobbing mother.</p><p>“Why is she crying?” Jonathan asked, his eyebrows furrowed at Murray, his hands clenching into fists. “What did you do to her?”</p><p>“Easy there, tiger,” Murray said, a feral grin twisted across his face. He pushed Jonathan toward the living room, “See for yourself.”</p><p>Joyce was clinging onto Jim Hopper as if her life depended on it. He was holding her in his arms as Billy fucking Hargrove sprawled across the couch and a girl stood near it, a cup in her hands and a spoon in her mouth.</p><p>“What the fuck?” Jonathan asked, hysterical, as he turned to Murray. </p><p>“Merry Christmas,” Murray said lamely.</p><p>Jonathan pushed him, “Fuck off.” </p><p>Joyce pulled away from Hopper, the ragged shirt that he was wearing damp from Joyce’s tears.</p><p>“Jonathan!” Joyce said, pulling him into a tight hug. “He’s alive, he’s alive, he’s alive.” </p><p>“I know, Mom, I know.” Jonathan kissed Joyce’s hair. “It’s okay, Mom.” He watched as Hopper sat down on the couch, Billy Hargrove burying his head in Hopper’s shoulder, the girl taking a seat on the arm of the couch, the spoon still in her mouth. “Mom, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Jonathan helped Joyce take a seat when he watched Murray sit down, and Jonathan sat down as well.</p><p>“Now someone explain what the fuck is going on,” Jonathan said, and he watched as Hopper, Billy, and the girl shared a look, Hopper pulling out a bunch of papers from his pockets.</p><p>“It’s kind of a long story,” Hopper said eventually.</p><p>Joyce grabbed his hand, “That’s okay.”</p><p>Murray eyed Hopper’s papers hungrily, “Tell us everything,” he said. “Everything.”</p><p>Hopper sighed before sharing another look with the teenagers on the couch. He spread the papers out on the coffee table, “It started on the fourth of July...” and Jonathan’s stomach churned with anxiety.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Will and Mike rushed up the stairs about ten minutes after they contacted Lucas. Mike wanted to go up sooner, but Will convinced him that wasn’t such a good idea. They opened the basement door into the kitchen and both of them gasped at the sight of Max’s bloodied face, causing El, Nancy, and Steve to look at them.</p><p>“Who did that to your face?” Mike asked, rage building in his chest. “Max, who the fuck hurt you?”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Max said, hopping off of the counter. She gave Mike a quick hug. “I’m okay.”</p><p>“You don’t look okay,” Will said, slapping a hand over his mouth once he realized that he had spoken his thoughts aloud.</p><p>“Yeah,” Max said. She tried smirking, but couldn’t due to her swollen lips. “I’m gonna have a real bitchin’ scar.”</p><p>“Max,” Mike said, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.</p><p>“Mike,” Max said pointedly. </p><p>“Are you sure you’re okay?” </p><p>“I’m doing better,” Max said. </p><p>“Okay,” Mike said, but he wasn’t convinced. “You’re our party’s zoomer. We can’t have you hurt, you know.”</p><p>“’Tis but a scratch, Mike,” Max said, smiling slightly. And Mike could not believe Max was quoting <em> Monty Python and the Holy Grail </em> at him.</p><p>“A scratch?” Mike asked, El and Will trying to hide their giggles. “Your arm’s off!”</p><p>There was a glint of amusement in Max’s eyes, “No it isn’t!”</p><p>“Well,” Mike said, wrapping his right arm around Max while his left hand motioned toward her bruised face. “What’s that?”</p><p>“I have had worse,” Max said. She and Mike were both nearly smiling. Nancy suppressed a smirk;<em> Monty Python </em> was the first movie that she had ever seen in theaters. She was eight years old when it came out, and Jonathan had gone with her, Joyce and Karen accompanying them. Steve had seen <em> Monty Python </em> that past weekend. He had hosted movie night with the kids at his place, and he was trying not to have a breakdown. Max dealt with her asshole stepfather by quoting a movie and Steve dealt with his asshole father through nightmares and smoking weed with Robin. Steve didn’t really understand why, but he had the strongest urge to cry.</p><p>“You liar!” Mike said fondly. </p><p>“Oh, come on,” Max said, her voice full of exasperation as Will and El bursted out in laughter, “you pansy!” </p><p>Mike sighed, “Okay,” he said, relenting. “I’m only letting you off the hook so easy because you let me act out such a great scene with you, you know.”</p><p>“I know,” Max said. “It’s okay though.”</p><p>Will looked at her, “My dad’s a douchebag, too.”</p><p>Max looked at Will, her eyebrows raised. She’d never heard him utter a mean word about anyone, much less cuss about his father. “Really?” Max asked. And the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She had never met Will’s father, the party would shift uncomfortably whenever Lonnie was mentioned, and Joyce definitely did not appreciate her ex-husband.</p><p>“Really,” Will said. “So if you ever need to talk or anything, Jonathan and I would understand. Jonathan says that our father can go-”</p><p>“Anyway,” Nancy said, interrupting Will, really wanting him to not finish his sentence. “Are you guys hungry? I’m pretty sure we have snacks or something.” Steve took a deep breath. Maybe asshole fathers were more common than he thought.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Lucas was pounding on the Harrington’s front door and his fist was probably going to be bruised by the time Dustin finally got around to opening it. When Dustin eventually swung the door open, a look of exasperation and annoyance flitted across his face before he truly took in the sight of Lucas; his helmet was unclipped lopsided, his usual jacket was replaced by a haphazardly swung on sweatshirt, and his eyes were deadly serious.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Dustin asked, Suzie creeping behind him, putting her arms across his waist and placing her head between his shoulder blades.</p><p>“Code red, dude!” Lucas said loudly, waving his arms crazily. “We need to go to the Wheeler’s. It’s Max.”</p><p>“Max?” Dustin asked, nerves kicking in, and Lucas nodded.</p><p>“Get a fucking jacket, let’s fucking go.”</p><p>“I don’t have my damn bike, Lucas!” Dustin said, grabbing at his hair. </p><p>“Borrow Steve’s, dumbass!” Lucas yelled. He could feel the anger prickling inside of him. “I’m going outside and I’m giving you three minutes to get ready before I’m dragging you to Mike’s.”</p><p>Five minutes later, the three of them were on the way to the Wheeler’s house, Suzie on the back of the bike Dustin was riding. Lucas was screaming, “Replace the batteries in your damn walkie talkie, dumbass!”</p><p>“Watch your language!” Suzie yelled back, not letting Dustin respond. </p><p>“Sorry!” Lucas yelled. “But he is a dumbass.” </p><p>~~~</p><p>“What I don’t understand,” Jonathan said when Hopper was done telling the story, “Is how Billy is alive. You, Hopper, never had a body. There was never any concrete proof that you were ever truly dead.” Jonathan took a deep breath and turned toward Billy, “No offense Hargrove, but I watched you die. I saw your body. I went to your funeral.” His voice lowered, “Nancy and I helped pick out your casket with your stepmother. After your funeral was over, Steve and I took Max to the store and he bought her a new skateboard I helped her pick out.” Jonathan felt like he was on the edge of a monumental breakdown. He took a deep breath, “Nancy and I would take Max to your grave every Saturday. I can’t do that anymore, but I swear that I visited your grave more than I visited Hopper’s.”</p><p>“Why don’t you visit anymore?” Billy asked. His face was twisted in anger. “Max too much of a problem for you?”</p><p>“No,” Jonathan said calmly, which only frustrated Billy more. “I moved out of Hawkins. It’s kind of hard to take a kid to visit a grave when you’re 33 hours away from both the kid and the cemetery.” Billy’s anger immediately dissipated.</p><p>“You moved?” Hopper asked, looking at Joyce. He sounded shocked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Joyce said, her voice small. “It was hard, Hop. Everywhere I went I could feel you there and El wasn’t any better. We had to leave.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Hopper said, reaching for Joyce’s hand.</p><p>“I still don’t get how Hargrove is alive,” Jonathan said loudly, pulling at his hair. He was starting to feel cagey and he longed for a blunt to calm his nerves.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Billy said helplessly. “All I know is that the shadow monster thing fucking impaled my guts and when I woke up I was in a place with no lights. And it was cold. And I could remember things.”</p><p>“Things?” Joyce asked gently, looking at Billy with the same concerned expression that she wore when she had first met El. </p><p>“Yeah,” Billy said, turning away from Joyce. “I could remember that I-I-I killed people.” His voice broke, “Fuck.”</p><p>“It’s okay, kid,” Hopper said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “It’s okay.”</p><p>“I can do weird shit now,” Billy said, his voice gruff.</p><p>“Weird shit?” Joyce asked, her voice soft.</p><p>Billy nodded. He looked at Kali and a few seconds later her empty cup was flying into his hands. He looked at the door that connected Murray’s living room and the hallway to his front door. With a motion of Billy’s hands, the door slammed shut loudly, closing off the living room to the hallway.</p><p>“Holy shit,” Hopper and Joyce said in unison as Joyce passed Billy tissues for his bloody nose. Jonathan felt numb. And Murray was looking at Billy like he was the eighth wonder of the world. </p><p>“Kali, you have powers, right?” Jonathan asked as he remembered Kali’s part in their prison break. </p><p>“Yes,” Kali said, shrugging. She held out her hands toward Jonathan and everyone stared at her. A large spider crawled its way around her palm and up her arm, disappearing into a gust of smoke when it got to her hair. She wiped her bloody nose with her shirt sleeve. “That spider obviously wasn’t real. I just convinced your mind that it was. Think of it as a type of magic.”</p><p>“You’re like El,” Joyce said, gasping.</p><p>“Well,” Kali said, “we are sisters.” </p><p>Hopper groaned.</p><p>“How were you captured?” Murray asked before anyone else could respond to Kali being El’s sister. “If you can convince people that their reality is fake, how come Hopper had to bust you out of prison?”</p><p>“They kidnapped me very suddenly,” Kali said. “They took down all of my friends while I was sleeping. When I woke up in the morning, I had a needle in my neck and I didn’t wake up again until I was strapped to a table next to Billy, wires attached to my limbs. When I wasn’t being experimented on, I was sedated and in a cell controlled by a red button. I didn’t have the energy or the means to leave and I was only helpful when Hopper broke out because they hadn’t drugged me in a whole day. Plus,” Kali said, “I was only captured about a week or two before Hopper staged his prison break.”</p><p>Murray and Jonathan shared a meaningful look. Murray nodded and Jonathan stood up. “I need to call Nancy,” Jonathan said. “Fucking Christ.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>The phone rang into the chaos of the Wheeler household. Suzie, Dustin, and Lucas had stormed into the kitchen a few minutes ago, Lucas and Dustin having meltdowns at the sight of Max’s face. Steve was trying to calm everyone down while Nancy got the phone.</p><p>“Nancy.” It was Jonathan. “We need you to come to Murray’s house now.”</p><p>“That’s kind of difficult since you took my car,” Nancy said. “And we? Who else is there?”</p><p>“What?” Jonathan asked, confused.</p><p>“You just told me,‘We need you to come to Murray’s house now’,” Nancy said, glaring at the wall behind the phone. “If it were just you and your mother there, you would have said something like, ‘My mom’s not doing well, will you come to Murray’s house?’ So who else is with you?” </p><p>“Nancy,” Jonathan said. His voice was frustrated and desperate. “I love how intelligent you are but I really can’t explain over the phone.”</p><p>“What about a walkie talkie?” Nancy asked, smiling slightly.</p><p>“<em>Nance. </em>” Jonathan, and the intensity of his voice wiped the smile off of Nancy’s face.</p><p>“Okay,” Nancy said quietly. “But I don’t have a car right now.”</p><p>“Isn’t Steve with you?” Jonathan asked. “Why can’t you just borrow his car?”</p><p>“Really?” Nancy said, crossing her arms. “I highly doubt he’ll just let me borrow his precious BMW and my parents aren’t home to give me access to their car. They’re at my grandparent’s with Holly, remember?” </p><p>“Nancy,” Jonathan said, “I’m sure you’ll be able to convince Steve. He’s a good guy.”</p><p>“Fine,” Nancy said, sighing. </p><p>“Hey, Nance?” Jonathan asked tentatively. </p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Make sure to bring your typewriter.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“We might,” Jonathan said, his voice low, “have a story for you and Murray to water down.”</p><p>“Okay,” Nancy said, swallowing loudly.</p><p>“And maybe bring one of your guns?” Jonathan asked, his voice breaking.</p><p>“Shit,” Nancy said, digging her nails into her palm. She had an idea of what could be going on Jonathan’s end. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.”</p><p>“I love you,” Jonathan said.</p><p>“I love you too,” Nancy said. </p><p>When the line went dead and Nancy hung up the phone, Steve looked at her expectantly. </p><p>“I need to borrow your car,” Nancy said delicately, an apologetic but hopeful smile on her face. </p><p>Steve threw her his car keys. “Robin gets out in fifteen minutes and I promised to pick Erica up after work today. As long as you get them both here before you go on your adventure, the car is yours.”</p><p>“Thank you, Steve!” Nancy said, relief flooding through her features. “Thank you!” Before Steve could respond, Nancy was running up the stairs. He could hear her bedroom door slamming open. When she walked back down the stairs, she was carrying her typewriter. When Nancy kicked her front door open, Steve could have sworn that he saw her revolver tucked in the waistband of her jeans. Steve swallowed thickly and hoped that the world wouldn’t be ending for the fourth time in three years. </p><p>~~~</p><p>When Robin opened the door to Steve’s car, she sat down angrily, saying loudly, “How’s Max doing? Also, nice of you to call like I asked, by the way, dingus.”</p><p>“Max is going to be okay,” Nancy’s voice replied and Robin’s head snapped up. </p><p>“You’re not Steve,” Robin said and wanted the earth to swallow her whole. That was the dumbest thing that Robin had ever said. </p><p>“I’m not,” Nancy said. She sounded like she was holding back a laugh.</p><p>“Is Steve okay?” Robin asked. She was nervous now. If anything had happened to Steve, Robin didn’t know how she would react. “Is Steve okay?” She asked again. “Nancy, I swear to God-”</p><p>“Steve’s okay,” Nancy said, interrupting her. “I just needed to borrow his car. He told me I could as long as I picked you and Erica up.”</p><p>“Oh good,” Robin said, sighing with relief. </p><p>Nancy raised an eyebrow at her, “I thought you two weren’t dating.” </p><p>“We’re not,” Robin said. “He’s not my type, Wheeler.”</p><p>“Okay,” Nancy said, but she sounded as if she knew something Robin didn’t. “You care about each other a lot.”</p><p>And Robin just nodded because she didn’t know Nancy well enough to tell her about her nightmares. How she had listened to Steve being tortured by Russians not even five months ago and now she dreamed and dreamed and dreamed about calling Steve’s name and shaking him when he was finally brought to the same room as her, his face a bloodied mess, and him never waking up. She couldn’t tell Nancy about Steve’s own night terrors. Robin couldn’t tell Nancy how much Nancy herself had fucking ruined Steve; how much his parents ruined him; how much his annual beatings ruined him. Robin couldn’t tell Nancy how much Billy Hargrove’s ghost ruined Steve. Robin couldn’t tell Nancy that the only time either her or Steve got a full night’s sleep was when they shared his bed, his horrible music filling the emptiness of his house, the weight of his arm across her shoulders, the pressure of her legs across his shins. Someone like Nancy Wheeler would not understand the relationship between Robin Buckley and Steve Harrington. </p><p>“Oh shit,” Robin said, her eyes widening as she snapped out of her thoughts. “Nancy, we have to stop at the convenience store.”</p><p>“What?” Nancy asked, pulling out of her parking spot. “Why?”</p><p>“Because, dollface,” Robin said, “Steve and I owe Erica ice cream. We’ve been slacking off lately on our ice cream for life deal.”</p><p>Nancy’s cheeks were turning pink at Robin’s compliment, which made Robin’s eyebrows raise. “Okay,” Nancy said, “convenience store then Erica. Just make it fucking quick.”</p><p>“You got it, captain,” Robin said, thinking for the first time since she had witnessed Nancy pull a gun on Billy Hargrove that perhaps she wasn’t such a priss after all. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Nancy Wheeler made it to Murray Bauman’s house, typewriter in her hands and gun in the waistband of her pants, a few hours later. Jonathan was outside waiting for her, his face somber and his eyes serious.</p><p>“Jonathan?” Nancy asked.</p><p>“Nance,” Jonathan breathed. He rushed toward her and kissed her cheek. She kissed his shoulder in return. “When you get inside please stay as calm as possible.”</p><p>When Nancy Wheeler saw that Jim Hopper and Billy Hargrove were back from the dead, she didn’t know how to react. She was angry and confused. All Nancy knew was that she was screaming nonsensical words at Hopper and Billy, yelling at them to explain themselves, but not letting them speak as she talked about visiting Billy’s grave with Max on Saturdays and how Max and El were still in mourning and deserved to know that Hopper and Billy were alive and breathing and whole. Nancy thought she was going to lose her mind as she turned to Murray and said, “I want vodka. A lot of fucking vodka.” Murray nodded and rushed away to get her some. He came back with a bottle of vodka in one hand and a shot glass in the other. Everyone watched as Nancy took both from Murray’s hands and gulped down three shots. Nancy took a deep breath, “Explain,” she said, placing her typewriter next to Murray’s on the coffee table. She sat down on the ground behind her typewriter and took the gun out of her waistband and placed it on the table as well, “Now.” </p><p>“Well,” Jonathan said before Hopper could even open his mouth to explain the story again, “So much for staying calm.” Nancy laughed so hard that she could have sworn that vodka got up her nose.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Thursday, December 26th, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How do you want to water this story down?” Nancy asked, turning to Murray as they scanned the papers that Hopper had stolen. They were sitting on Murray’s living room floor, their respective typewriters in front of them, the bottle of vodka between them. “It’s even crazier than,” she closed her eyes as she thought about Barb, “our last one.”</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Murray said over the banging that came from his kitchen; Jonathan and Joyce were trying to make dinner. </p><p>“Then,” Nancy said, “the most pressing question right now should be why paperwork stolen from a secret Russian prison is all written in English.”</p><p>Murray stared at Nancy with wide eyes, “Fucking hell.” Nancy’s lips formed a tight line in response. </p><p>~~~</p><p>In the Wheeler’s basement, Suzie, Dustin, and Lucas were arguing over a scientific concept that El wasn’t quite following. All she knew was that Dustin kept threatening to call Mr. Clarke so that he could “open the curiosity door that we have found”; Mike, Will, and Steve were having an animated conversation in the far side of the room about D&amp;D and why Mike was completely unwilling to give up his role of Dungeon Master to Steve during their next session. El found herself giggling at Mike’s exaggerated hand movements and the lovesick gazes Will sent Mike's way. El untangled herself from Max, who was fast asleep on a beanbag chair near the stairs, where Erica and Robin were sharing a giant bowl of ice cream topped with rainbow colored sprinkles.</p><p>“Can we talk?” El asked deliberately as she tapped Robin on the shoulder. El was staring at Robin with huge eyes. Robin nodded and the two of them walked up the stairs, shut the basement door, and took a seat on the Wheeler’s living room couch.</p><p>“Max told me it’s okay for girls to kiss other girls,” El said as soon they both sat down. “Is that true?”</p><p>Robin blinked at her slowly, “Huh?”</p><p>“You love Steve,” El said simply. “But you don’t kiss Steve.”</p><p>“Right,” Robin said slowly, looking intently at the weirdly intelligent child sitting next to her. “And,” El continued, “the girl at your movie store made you blush.” Robin’s chest constricted a little bit. She had forgotten that Max and El were at the video store when Tammy had stopped by. “But in all of the movies that I watch, boys only kiss girls, and girls only kiss boys,” El said. “You want to kiss the girl from the store.” It wasn’t a question.</p><p>“Yes,” Robin said, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. </p><p>“Not Steve?” El asked.</p><p>“Not Steve,” Robin confirmed.</p><p>“And that’s okay?” El asked. “Even if it’s not in the movies?”</p><p>“Oh,” Robin said, nodding, finally truly understanding why El wanted to talk to her. “Well, it’s okay for girls to kiss girls and for boys to kiss boys. It’s just not something that everyone is comfortable with. Some people don’t like it when two boys kiss or when two girls kiss.”</p><p>El nodded seriously, “Max told me that.” El cleared her throat. “Billy Hargrove wanted to kiss Steve.”</p><p>Robin blinked at El, “Excuse me?” She asked.</p><p>“Billy wanted to kiss Steve,” El said. “I saw it when I was inside of his head.”</p><p>Robin nodded, “Okay. That’s uh, okay.” She was tugging on her ear again. "You might not want to tell anyone else about that."</p><p>“Oh," El said, fingering the hem of her shirt. "I'm sorry. It's just that he had a lot of bad feelings about it,” El said. “And nobody in the movies kisses a girl if they are a girl or a boy if they are a boy. And so I thought it was not okay to want to kiss girls.”</p><p>Robin nodded, letting El know that she was listening to her.</p><p>“But you blushed when the girl came to talk to you. And Max blushed when I wiped her lip. And Will blushes whenever Mike speaks to him,” El said. “And Mike always wants to make sure that Will is happy. And Max told me it’s okay to want to kiss girls. And you said it’s okay too. So it must be okay.”</p><p>“Do you want to kiss Max?” Robin asked, looking at El, her features soft.</p><p>“Yes,” El said. She paused for a moment, obviously thinking, “Does this mean I have to keep the door three inches open when Max is in my bedroom?”</p><p>“Um,” Robin said, not really knowing what to say. “Do you do that when Mike is in your bedroom?”</p><p>“Yes,” El said. Her voice grew smaller, “My dad liked it when I did.”</p><p>“Oh,” Robin said delicately. She knew that El’s dad was one of the many that died during the incident at the Starcourt Mall. Robin swallowed, “Then you should probably keep the door open three inches when Max is in your room.”</p><p>“Okay,” El said, nodding. “Maybe I won’t tell anyone other than you that I want to kiss Max then.”</p><p>“Okay,” Robin said, grinning stupidly. “That’s okay. You don’t have to tell anyone anything. You don’t owe people shit.”</p><p>El grinned, “You promise?”</p><p>“I promise.”</p><p>“I think I have to break up with Mike,” El said after a moment of silence.</p><p>Robin nodded, “I think you do, too.”</p><p>“I don’t think he’ll mind.” El’s voice lowered, “Mike loves Will.”</p><p>“Oh.” Robin said, smiling again, “I see.”</p><p>“Max also told me about good screams,” El said. “Do you know what a good scream is?”</p><p>“A good scream?” Robin asked, her mind reeling. It suddenly dawned on her. Oh. Dear. God. Robin was <em> not </em> having a sex talk with a 13-year-old. No way in hell. “You know,” Robin said, trying to suppress a smirk, “I think that’s more of a Steve question.”</p><p>“Oh,” El said, nodding. “Good to know.” El hugged Robin suddenly, and Robin wrapped her arms around her in return, letting El sag into her.</p><p>“Thank you,” El breathed out into Robin’s stomach.</p><p>“Of course, kid,” Robin said, running her fingers through El’s hair just as she did with Steve when he needed comfort. “Of course.” </p><p>~~~</p><p>When Sam Owens got a phone call from Jim Hopper on the evening after Christmas, he thought he was going crazy. Hopper was dead, or he was supposed to be. Sam had gone to the man’s funeral for Christ’s sake and then had helped Joyce Byers adopt his daughter. And then Sam Owens got the news that another person who was dead, or supposed to be dead, was alive - the kid, Billy Hargrove - and he knew that some shit that was weirder than the monsters he used to experiment on was happening on the other end of the line.</p><p>“When should I get there and what should I bring?” Sam asked.</p><p>Hopper’s voice was gruff when he said, “Medical equipment, the three of us are all in pretty rough shape. Some more so than others.” Voices erupted on the other end of the line, and then Hopper’s voice was far away, telling the people he was with to shut up, and the noise died down. “Come as soon as you can.”</p><p>“Where are you?” Sam said.</p><p>“Murray Bauman’s house,” Hopper said, and Sam Owens’ stomach dropped. Weird shit was definitely happening. “And don’t forget what Jane did for you last year.” </p><p>“I’ll be there as soon as possible,” Sam said. He hung up the phone as he shook off Hopper’s threat. He started collecting some of his more expensive traveling medical instruments, packed his car, made sure his gun was still in his glove box, and left for Murray Bauman’s place. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Tammy Thompson’s mother was screaming up the stairs for her, “Tammy, Robin’s on the phone for you!” Tammy’s heart skipped a beat. Why was Robin calling her? Did she change her mind about their date? Tammy wasn’t supposed to call Robin for another two hours, not that she was counting or anything.</p><p>“I’m coming!” Tammy said and she bounded down the stairs, nearly tripping over the rug in the hallway that led to her phone. Her mom gave her a disapproving look as she handed Tammy the phone, “Please make it quick. I have a call in twenty minutes.” Tammy nodded and her mother walked down the hall and up the stairs. Once Tammy heard her mother’s bedroom door close, she said, “Robin?”</p><p>“Uh, hi!” Robin said, her voice sounded excited and nervous and breathless all at once. “Um, yeah. I know it’s weird that I’m calling-”</p><p>“It’s not weird!” Tammy blurted out before she could stop herself. Robin giggled on the other end of the line. “Sorry,” Tammy said sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Robin said. “I’m just calling because I’m not at home, so you don’t have my number. And we still needed to make, um, concrete plans, so uh, yeah.”</p><p>“Where are you?” Tammy asked, her curiosity piqued. She realized after she’d asked that perhaps it was a weird question. “I don’t mean to pry.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Robin said again. “I’m with Steve at Nancy’s house.”</p><p>“Nancy Wheeler?” Tammy said, smiling slightly. “Should I be jealous?”</p><p>“No!” Robin said hurriedly. “Nothing to be jealous of. She’s a dud,” Robin said, recalling her bathroom conversation and wincing. </p><p>“She is not,” Tammy said. “Wanting to be a journalist or a private investigator are much more interesting dreams than moving to Nashville and becoming a singer.”</p><p>“In that case,” Robin said, “should I be jealous?”</p><p>“No!” Tammy said, biting her bottom lip. “No, you shouldn’t be jealous of Nancy Wheeler.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Robin asked, laughing a bit.</p><p>“I’m sure,” Tammy said, and before she could stop herself she said, “Remember Mrs. Click’s class?” </p><p>“How could I forget?” Robin said. “We sat next to each other while you ogled Harrington the whole time. You almost failed because you couldn’t pay attention. I had to tutor you.”</p><p>“Robin, I was staring at him because I couldn’t figure out why Nancy wanted him,” Tammy said, the words spilling out her mouth and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. “He got bagel crumbs on the floor and his hair was always disgustingly slicked back and he was perpetually late. And he was dumb, oh my God was he dumb.” Tammy stopped talking when she realized that Robin was now best friends with Steve, “Robs, I didn’t get how someone as intelligent and as pretty as Nancy would want him. I can see why Carol would want him, but not Nancy. I still don’t really get it. And I’m sorry for making you think that I liked Steve.” Tammy closed her eyes, “and I don’t like Nancy. Not anymore at least. I uh,” Tammy could feel her cheeks turning red and was grateful that Robin wasn’t actually with her, “like you. A lot.”</p><p>“I like you a lot too,” Robin said. She paused, “I think that I’ve liked you since you told Mr. Clarke to go eat a textbook in the seventh grade.” </p><p>Tammy laughed, “I was such a little shit.” </p><p>“It was nice,” Robin said. “It made my baby dyke heart flutter.” </p><p>Tammy laughed louder. When she sobered up she said, “I’ve liked you since the ninth grade. So you have me beat by a few years.”</p><p>“What happened in ninth grade?” Robin asked, breathless.</p><p>“Remember when Harrington threw a rager and I was invited by Carol?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“I forced you to go even though you really didn’t want to go. You told me that you just wanted to stay home and read the latest edition of <em> Wonder Woman. </em> But I begged and begged and begged until you finally said yes,” Tammy said, closing her eyes and remembering. She could almost taste the smell of smoke and alcohol in Steve’s house that night. “You didn’t drink at all and I drank too much. I drank myself dizzy.”</p><p>“Yes,” Robin whispered, “I remember.”</p><p>“Tommy and Carol got into a terrible fight,” Tammy said. “And he tried to kiss me and I was too dizzy to push him off of me.”</p><p>“And I punched him,” Robin said. “I punched Tommy H. in the ninth grade for you and that’s how you knew you liked me?”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Tammy said. “I know that’s super lame, but in that moment I realized that you were the only person that would punch a creep for me, who would help me with homework, and who would listen to me sing. And I noticed how pretty you are, body twisting and hair falling out of your bun as you punched Tommy. It was kind of revolutionary.”</p><p>“You don’t have to apologize,” Robin said seriously. “It’s truly wonderful news that I’m super hot in all circumstances. And I’m glad you never actually had a thing for Harrington because that might have been a dealbreaker. I can deal with you liking Nancy and I at the same time, but not with you liking Harrington.”</p><p>Tammy burst out in laughter, “Jesus, Robin. I thought you two were friends.”</p><p>“We are,” Robin said. “I love him dearly, but that doesn’t make him any less of a dingus.”</p><p>“Where do you want to go tonight?” Tammy asked. “I’ll go anywhere you want me to.”</p><p>“Lets go to the diner,” Robin said almost immediately. “The one right outside of town.”</p><p>“Okay,” Tammy said, smiling widely. “I’ll pick you up at the Wheeler’s at seven. And we’ll go to the diner.”</p><p>“Cool,” Robin said. </p><p>“Yeah,” Tammy said, “very cool.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>“That’s it!” Dustin shouted, standing up. “I’m going to call Mr. Clarke. We’re opening this curiosity door once in for all!” Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked up at Dustin.</p><p>“Um, that’s a no,” Steve said, shaking his head. “No one’s calling Mr. Clarke.” </p><p>“Why not?” Max asked from the beanbag chair she and El were sharing.</p><p>“Because we’re not interrupting him during his Christmas break,” Steve said. “We’re not rude.”</p><p>“I’ve called him late at night before and he still answered,” Dustin said. “I don’t think he’ll mind.”</p><p>“Plus he likes Dustin,” Lucas said. “Mr. Clarke will always answer the phone for us. We’re part of his AV club, remember?”</p><p>“I get it, you’re all little nerds,” Steve said, rolling his eyes. “But please, at least wait another day after Christmas to bother him. He’s on vacation.”</p><p>“I’m taller than you,” Mike said. “So we’re not little nerds.” Will snickered at Mike’s comment.</p><p>“Okay,” Steve said. “You totally missed my point. But I guess you’re all big nerds.”</p><p>“Are you calling us fat?” Suzie asked. “Because that’s not really nice, Steve.”</p><p>“Yeah, Steve,” El said, leaning on Max’s side. “That’s not very nice. You’re supposed to be nice.”</p><p>“What do you have to say for yourself?” Lucas asked. “First you say we can’t open a curiosity door and now you’re calling us fat?”</p><p>“Why am I being bullied by a herd of prepubescent children?” Steve asked, mostly to himself.</p><p>“Because they’re your only friends, sailor boy,” Erica said from where she was feasting on icecream on the stairwell.</p><p>Steve nodded, accepting defeat. Two years ago, Steve Harrington was the King of Hawkins High with two, albeit shitty best friends, and a wonderful girlfriend, now he was single, haunted by the ghost of a Californian douchebag, and hanging out with seven kids in his ex-girlfriend’s basement the day after Christmas. Oh how time flies. </p><p>~~~</p><p>El and Mike were bundled in winter coats sharing hot chocolate on the steps of the Wheeler porch. They had snuck out of the basement in order to watch the sunset together, but it was nearly seven and the sun had already disappeared. The darkness around them only made Mike’s porch light glow brighter.</p><p>“Mike?” El said, turning toward him. </p><p>“Yeah?” Mike said, putting his drink down.</p><p>“You love Will,” El said. Mike choked on the hot chocolate that he had failed to completely swallow.</p><p>“What?” Mike asked after he cleared his throat. “El! That’s not - you’re not - <em> what </em>?”</p><p>“You love Will,” El repeated herself simply. She put her hand on Mike’s shoulder and he flinched under her touch. “Mike,” El said, “that’s not a bad thing.”</p><p>“I don’t love Will,” Mike said, crossing his arms.</p><p>“Lies,” El said. “Friends don’t lie. Why do you lie?”</p><p>Mike was reminded of when El had broken up with him during the summer. He sighed, “El, I love you. I don’t love Will. Not like that.”</p><p>“Yes, you do,” El said. “It’s okay.”</p><p>“I don’t feel that way towards Will!”</p><p>“How do you feel towards Will?” El asked, her eyebrows raised and her eyes wide.</p><p>Mike opened his mouth and then closed it again. He took a sip of his hot chocolate before putting his mug on the porch and refused to meet El’s eyes.</p><p>“Will loves you,” El said quietly. “He looks at you with lovesick eyes. He talks about you with a lovesick voice.”</p><p>“Lovesick?” Mike asked, his voice small and broken.</p><p>“Yes,” El said. “Lovesick. I was watching a movie with Joyce and I heard it. It was my word of the day on December 11th. Lovesick is when you love someone but think they don’t love you. It’s when someone makes you happy and sad at the same time. You and Will are lovesick.”</p><p>“I know what lovesick means, El,” Mike snapped. His face softened and he lowered his voice, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh.”</p><p>“It’s okay.”</p><p>“It’s really not,” Mike said, burying his face in his hands. “I feel like I’m screwing everything up!” Mike hated himself for it, but he was crying.</p><p>El hugged Mike’s shoulders awkwardly. “Why?” She asked.</p><p>“Because I’m supposed to grow up and get a girlfriend and eventually get married and have children and I can’t even do that right!” </p><p>“Mike,” El said, “that’s not what growing up has to mean.”</p><p>Mike finally took his head out of his hands and looked at El. “What?”</p><p>“Nancy and Jonathan don’t want to get married,” El said. “They do not want children. They love each other, but they never want…” El’s voice trailed off. She bit her lip. “I forget the term, Mike.”</p><p>“Describe it,” Mike said softly, fondly.</p><p>“Um,” El said, “it’s what someone would call your mom and your dad and you and Nancy and Holly.” Her nose was scrunched in concentration.</p><p>“A nuclear family?” Mike asked.</p><p>El nodded. “See?” She said. “Nancy and Jonathan do not want a nuclear family. They are grown up and they do not want to get married. And they do not want kids. And Steve is grown up and does not have a girlfriend. And Joyce is not married and has three kids. Mike,” El whispered, “there are other ways to grow up.”</p><p>Mike bit his lip, “El, I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Why?” El asked, her eyebrows were furrowed in concern and confusion.</p><p>“Because,” Mike said, “you’re the most important thing in the world to me and I can’t even be a good boyfriend.”</p><p>“You are my family, Mike,” El said. “My best friend. It’s okay.”</p><p>“Really?” Mike asked, his voice soft and insecure.</p><p>“Really,” El said. “You are my first best friend.”</p><p>“Oh,” Mike breathed out. He could feel the tears prickling behind his eyes again. “Fuck, I think I’m just homophobic.”</p><p>“Homophobic?” El asked. </p><p>“Yeah,” Mike said, clenching his eyes shut as his lips trembled and more tears fell across his face. “That can be your word for today.”</p><p>“Okay,” El said softly. She brushed some tears off of Mike’s face. “What does it mean?”</p><p>“It’s when you hate gay people,” Mike said. At El’s confused facial expression Mike said, “A gay person is a boy who likes boys or a girl who likes girls.”</p><p>“Oh,” El said. “Well then I guess I have two words today.”</p><p>Mike cracked a tiny smile at El, “Yeah, I guess you do.”</p><p>“Mike,” El said, “you do not hate gay people. You do not hate Will. You do not hate me.”</p><p>“You- you’re,” Mike stuttered, “gay?”</p><p>“Girls are pretty,” El confirmed. “I do not know how to tell if I like clothes or books or movies most of the time. I do not really know who I am. But I do know girls make me feel good and boys make me feel,” she paused, “indifferent. Indifferent was my word of the day on November 13th. It means-”</p><p>“El,” Mike said gently, “I know what indifferent means.”</p><p>“Okay,” El said, “good.”</p><p>“Well,” Mike said, “I hate myself. And I hate that Will makes me feel good. That has to be homophobic.”</p><p>“It’s different to hate yourself than to hate other people,” El said. </p><p>“I guess so,” Mike nodded. He paused before saying, “My mom really wants grandchildren, El.” He burst into tears. “I don’t want to disappoint my mom!”</p><p>“Mike, your mom loves you,” El said, hugging Mike close to her. “She will love you even if you don’t have children. She will love you even if you love Will. She will always love you.”</p><p>“How do you know?” Mike asked, wiping away his tears angrily. “How could you possibly know?”</p><p>“I know your mom, Mike,” El said simply. “And I know that she loves you. You don’t disappoint her. Not at all.” </p><p>“Oh,” Mike breathed out. “Oh. Shit, El. I don’t think I’m homophobic. I think I love Will.”</p><p>“That’s okay,” El said. She leaned in close to Mike, “Do you want to know a secret?”</p><p>“Sure,” Mike said, smiling slightly as he leaned his head on El’s shoulder.</p><p>“I love Max,” El said. </p><p>Mike started laughing, loud and wonderful and beautiful. “Congratulations, El,” Mike said, “you’re officially the last person to know that.”</p><p>“Shut up, Mike!” El started laughing too. “You were the last person to know that you love Will. We are even then.”</p><p>“True,” Mike said. “El?”</p><p>“Yes, Mike?”</p><p>“Can I still talk to you every day on the walkie talkie even though weren’t not dating anymore?”</p><p>“We haven’t stopped dating yet,” El said, erupting into giggles again.</p><p>“Fine,” Mike said, laughing a little. “Break up with me.”</p><p>“No,” El said. “I broke up with you last time. You break up with me.”</p><p>“Ugh,” Mike said, scrunching up his nose. “I dump your ass!”</p><p>“Mike!” El said, laughing. “That doesn’t count! You used my line!”</p><p>“Fine,” Mike sighed. But he was trying not to laugh and El knew it. El knew Mike. “It’s not you, El. It’s me. I’m sorry, I love you but I’m not in love with you. I think we should see other people.”</p><p>El started laughing, “You sound like you should be in one of my movies.”</p><p>“That was the point,” Mike said, laughing. “So, since we’re not dating anymore, am I still allowed to walkie-talkie you every day?”</p><p>“Of course,” El said, bumping his shoulder with hers. “We’re not dating but you can’t get rid of me. You are stuck with me for life.”</p><p>Mike smiled, “There are worse people to be stuck with.” El smiled back at him.</p><p>“I’m sorry about your camera, by the way,” Mike said after taking another sip of hot chocolate. “I know how important it was to you.”</p><p>“Not your fault,” El said. She paused, “Do you think Steve will get me a new one?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Mike said, nodding feverently. “He got Max a skateboard so she wouldn’t be sad. I’m sure he’ll help you find a new camera.”</p><p>“Oh, good,” El breathed out.</p><p>“Is that the thing you were most worried about?” Mike asked. “Not about us not loving each other or us being gay, but if Steve would help you replace your camera?”</p><p>El giggled but didn’t respond. Mike raised an eyebrow at her before pushing her gently. They both started laughing. “Oh my god,” Mike said, wheezing. “You like cameras more than you like boys!” And then El was laughing, gasping for breath, her sides hurting and her cheeks aching. </p><p>“Mike!” El said between bouts of wheezing, “I care about you more than I care about my camera!” And then they were laughing even harder, tears forming in their eyes. “I swear!” El said, but they were too far gone. Mike and El were laughing when Robin rushed onto the front porch and booked it to the passenger seat of the car that had just sped into the Wheeler’s driveway. El laughed even harder when she realized Robin had to step over her and Mike, but did so without asking them any questions. And they were still laughing - sides aching, cheeks sore, throats raw - as Robin and her ride peeled away from the Wheeler’s house and down the road. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Nancy watched as Billy Hargrove stormed out of Murray’s guest bedroom and outside, opening doors and slamming them shut again with just waves of his arms, his nose bleeding. Nancy had seen El do the same exact thing on multiple occasions, but it was undeniably odd to watch Billy - asshole wannabe frat boy turned local hero - use the powers she was so familiar with. Nancy put down the pile of papers she was holding and turned toward Murray, who was mixing a drink for himself. </p><p>“I’ll be right back,” Nancy told him, grabbing a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and some tissues from the coffee table as she stood up. Murray waved at her absentmindedly, not saying anything. He was obviously in deep thought as Nancy followed Billy outside.</p><p>Once Billy saw that Nancy had joined him in Murray’s backyard, he sneered at her, the look in his eyes dangerous. “Well, well, well,” Billy snarled, his voice low and full of gravel, “if it isn’t Princess Wheeler. Come to yell at me some more?”</p><p>Nancy raised an eyebrow at Billy and handed him a cigarette and tissues. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth after wiping his nose. </p><p>“Cut the bullshit,” Nancy said and lit the cigarette that Billy perched between his lips. She stuffed down the feeling the nickname ‘Princess’ gave her; the same indignant rageful helplessness that burned so brightly in her when she worked with the shitheads at the Hawkins Post who called her ‘Nancy Drew’. </p><p>Billy closed his eyes and let the cigarette smoke waft around him and Nancy. “What do you want, Wheeler?” </p><p>“To see if you’re okay,” Nancy said, lighting a cigarette for herself. “I know I wasn’t in the Upside Down for as long as you were, but it sucked.”</p><p>Billy looked at her with huge blue eyes as their cigarette smoke intertwined with one another’s, “You’ve been there?”</p><p>Nancy nodded, “Jonathan pulled me out of it. Literally. It was two years ago now.”</p><p>“Not Harrington?” Billy asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>Nancy shook her head, “Not Steve.”</p><p>“Weren’t you dating King Steve back then?”</p><p>Nancy raised her eyebrows at Billy again, “You’re the only person other than Dustin who ever calls him that.”</p><p>Billy ignored Nancy’s comment when he said, “Thanks for checking in with me, I guess.” He shrugged, “You don’t have to.”</p><p>“I want to,” Nancy said fiercely and Billy looked surprised.</p><p>“Why?” Billy said, he sounded so tired. He blew a waft of smoke into the air above him, tilting his head up toward the clouds, “Princess, I’m not gonna be your fuckin’ charity case.”</p><p>“You’re not,” Nancy said. “That’s bullshit.”</p><p>“Mmmmm,” Billy said, blowing smoke towards Nancy. “You sure do like the word bullshit, Wheeler.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Nancy said, her lips forming a thin line, her cigarette between her fingers. “It’s a good word, Hargrove.”</p><p>Billy scoffed, “So if I’m not charity what am I?”</p><p>“An asshole,” Nancy said. “But an asshole who likes Steve.”</p><p>Billy gaped at her then sneered. He flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground then stomped it out, “Listen, princess, I don’t know what the fuck you think you’ve figured out about me, but you need to quit sticking your nose in places it doesn’t fuckin’ belong.” </p><p>Billy was so close to Nancy that he was nearly pinning her against the wall of the house behind them. Nancy refused to break eye contact with Billy and blew smoke in his face. She smirked when he turned away from her, coughing slightly. </p><p>“I’m not scared of you, Hargrove,” Nancy said. She would have crossed her arms if she could, but Billy didn’t give her enough room to. </p><p>“You should be, princess.”</p><p>“You’re all bark,” Nancy taunted, “no bite.” She watched as Billy’s face contorted in anger and frustration. Nancy wanted to know what would make him snap. Maybe she wanted him to hit her like he did Steve last year, maybe she didn’t. Nancy didn’t know and she didn’t care to find out. Instead, she raised her chin at Billy, not caring that they were sharing the same air, that he smelled of cigarettes and sweat and anger, that he could hurt her even though he had obviously just been through hell, and said, “Just so you know, Steve thinks you’re pretty too.” </p><p>She watched as Billy backed away from her, recoiling as if Nancy had just slapped him across the face. Billy didn’t even make a motion to hit her, and Nancy couldn’t tell if that disappointed her or not.</p><p>Nancy started to walk back inside Murray’s house when she turned around to face Billy once more, “Stop being such a dick and maybe things could work out.” She didn’t have to elaborate because she and Billy both knew what she was talking about.</p><p>“Fuck off,” Billy said weakly. “You have no fucking idea.”</p><p>Nancy stopped walking and turned around fully, “No idea about what exactly, Hargrove? Being queer?” Billy flinched at the word. “Because you’re right, I don’t know what it’s like to be queer. But I do know what it’s like to be judged because of things I can’t change about myself,” Nancy said. “I can’t help being a woman and therefore not being taken seriously just like you can’t help finding Steve as pretty as Rob Lowe and being hated for that.” </p><p>Billy stood there, gaping at Nancy like a fish out of water. She threw him the pack of cigarettes and lighter, “Make sure Hopper gets a smoke, I know he’s been itching for one.” She paused before saying, “You can talk to me if you want to. About anything.”</p><p>Billy didn’t respond until Nancy was opening the door to Murray’s house, having already stared at the security camera and listened to the dead bolts get unlocked, “Thanks, Princess.” There was no anger in his voice. No condescending edge to the nickname ‘Princess’, and Nancy realized that Billy Hargrove didn’t really remind her of those shitheads at the Hawkins Post after all. <em> Sure, he was an asshole. But he was on his way to recovery. And maybe</em>, Nancy thought, <em>after all of this colossal amount of bullshit is over, Hargrove will be a friend.  </em></p><p>Nancy flashed him a tight lipped smile and her nose was all scrunched up, “Of course.” Nancy made to close the door when the lamp lights inside Murray’s house flickered. Nancy could feel her eyes widen and stomach drop when she screeched, “Billy, get inside the house! Now!”</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Thursday, December 26th, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What’s going on?” Kali asked, spinning around and facing Billy, who looked just as confused as she did. They watched as Murray handed Hopper a gun, keeping one for himself, while Nancy pulled a revolver from the waistband of her jeans. Jonathan gave Joyce a bat and clutched the axe in his hands until his knuckles turned white. The lights flickered again.</p><p>“They’re coming,” Billy said finally, looking at the failing light fixtures around them. A cold sense of dread watched over Billy as he remembered what he had done when he was possessed by that thing, that <em> monster</em>, in July. He remembered Heather, his best friend, his only friend really, and swallowed harshly. Billy wasn’t ready for this. He didn’t think he would ever be. </p><p>“Those things from the lab?” Kali asked, sharing a look with Billy. Billy barely had time to nod in response when one of the monsters broke through Murray’s padlocked door and leapt toward Hopper, knocking Hopper down before he could even take a shot. Faintly, Billy could hear Joyce screaming as Jonathan yelled, his voice panicked, “Shoot it, Nancy! Shoot it!” Then guns were going off, not doing much to harm the creature, and Billy knew without looking that both Murray and Nancy were taking shots at it.</p><p>Billy was knocked out of his stupor when Hopper shouted, “Billy! Kid, you gotta use your powers!” </p><p>Billy finally let loose a scream, his nose bleeding ridiculously as he tore the creature apart with his mind, his hands making a splitting motion as the monster ripped in half, the otherworldly goo it left behind spraying everywhere and staining Murray’s entire living room. Billy’s display of power made him feel like collapsing, but Joyce and Hopper were running to him before he could, Hopper grabbing at his shoulders and Joyce wiping his nose of its blood. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Billy murmured before he could stop himself. He felt as though he couldn’t breathe. He might have been crying but he wasn’t sure. “I’m sorry, Sir,” Billy said, searching for Murray rapidly as he fell into Hopper’s embrace. “I didn’t mean to make a mess.” Jonathan, Nancy, and Kali looked at him in shock, not knowing what to do or what to say. “I’ll clean it up, I promise, Sir.” </p><p>“Shhh, honey,” Joyce whispered, “you have nothing to apologize for. You saved us.” </p><p>“Least I could do,” Billy mumbled, slumping against Hopper, his eyelids fluttering closed. All of the energy had left Billy’s body as he fainted. Joyce carded her hand through Billy’s hair and gave Hopper a worried look. Her eyes didn’t leave Hopper even when he turned away from her and half-carried, half-dragged Billy into Murray’s guest room, everyone stunned silent when the door closed loudly. </p><p>“We have to keep vigilant,” Joyce said, her voice panicky as she finally turned to everyone else. “Hop said there were four of those things at that lab, and Billy only killed one of them.”</p><p>“That leaves three left,” Jonathan said, voice shaky. </p><p>“Christ,” Kali said. “At least we have backup coming.”</p><p>“Backup?” Nancy asked.</p><p>“Hopper has a doctor he knows who also works for the American government,” Kali said. “His name is Sam Owens I think.”</p><p>“Fucking A,” Murray said angrily. “We’re inviting the curtain into my fucking household.”</p><p>“Now is not the time for your paranoia,” Joyce said, jabbing a finger at Murray’s chest. “I know that’s rich coming from me, but, Murray, we need all the help that we can get. Help that doesn’t involve our other children. I’m not the biggest fan of Dr. Owens either, but we need help. So shut up and let Dr. Owens do his fucking job!” </p><p>The lights flickered again before Murray could respond. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Tammy and Robin’s date was at the diner right outside of town; the dingy little one with the cracked tables and peeling paint. It was the place Steve would take Robin after school on Wednesdays, the place where the kids always begged to go, the place with good coffee and greasy fries and warm food. They had shared a milkshake with two straws, like Tammy had seen in the movies she loved to watch. It was cheesy, but Robin also loved it. </p><p>Tammy was smiling as she and Robin drove around town after their meal, not really having any destination in mind. “I wasn’t kidding about watching <em> Before Stonewall </em> together, you know,” she said, “So, we’ll have to go on another date. Sorry, but I don’t make the rules.”</p><p>Robin laughed, “I’m sure that can happen.” She wanted to kiss Tammy more than she had wanted to do anything in her entire life, but she stuffed the feeling down as she turned toward Tammy, who was focusing on the road, and counted the freckles that spread across Tammy’s cheeks. </p><p>“Robin,” Tammy whispered, her voice rough, “I can feel you staring at me.”</p><p>“Who can blame me?” Robin answered, her voice equally as rough, “You’re a beautiful view.” Robin smiled softly as a blush spread across Tammy’s cheeks. </p><p>“Robin,” Tammy whined, “stop flirting with me. I’m getting butterflies and I’m trying to drive.” </p><p>Robin poked Tammy’s cheek, right on one of her many freckles, “Never.” Tammy made a split second decision and pulled her car into the quarry, parking it near a patch of trees, the branches almost obscuring her car.</p><p>“Robin,” Tammy said, unbuckling. “I really, really like you.” She turned so she could face Robin directly, who was currently smiling and blushing like a schoolgirl.</p><p>“I know,” Robin said.</p><p>“Did you just Han Solo me?” Tammy asked incredulously. </p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, laughing. “I think I did.” </p><p>“I cannot believe you just Han Solo’d me!”</p><p>“I’m sorry!” Robin said, but she was laughing, and so was Tammy. “I like you too.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay,” Tammy said. But she was still laughing.</p><p>“Since the seventh grade,” Robin said, “but you already knew that.”</p><p>“Robin?” Tammy asked, her eyes looking briefly at Robin’s lips before flickering back up to meet her eyes. </p><p>“Yeah?” Robin asked breathlessly.</p><p>“Can I - Can I kiss you?” Tammy whispered. “You can say no! God, I shouldn’t have asked. It was so weird of me to ask. I’m so sor-” Robin cut her off with a kiss before Tammy could continue on. It wasn’t a long kiss by any means, but when they broke apart, their foreheads still touching, both girls were giggling.</p><p>“Oh,” Tammy said.</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said.</p><p>“Kiss me again?” Tammy said. Robin responded by leaning in, kissing Tammy again. They kissed until their lips were bruised and the breath was stolen from their lungs. </p><p>“Holy shit,” Tammy whispered when they pulled away. “Be my girlfriend?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, nodding feverently. “Yeah, of course I’ll be your girlfriend.”</p><p>“Oh, good,” Tammy said, still a little breathless.</p><p>“You thought I would say no to that?” Robin asked gently. “How could I ever say no to being your girlfriend?”</p><p>“I’m not very interesting,” Tammy shrugged. She was earnest too, not searching for compliments or anything. “I’m not good with kids like Steve; I’m not tenacious like Nancy; I’m not good at makeup or hair or skipping class like Carol; and I can’t speak four languages or play an instrument or punch assholes.”</p><p>“Tammy,” Robin said, taking Tammy’s hands in hers, “You’re so fucking interesting. You’re like so curious. Tammy, your interest in everything is amazing; I’ve never met anyone else who watches documentaries like you do. And you are tenacious and intelligent and beautiful. Yeah, you don’t have a 4.0 like Nancy, but where’s the fun in that? And who cares if you can’t speak four languages or play an instrument? I can woo you in French and play you a song and you can charm my pants off speaking English, yeah?”</p><p>Tammy nodded, wiggling her eyebrows, “Charm your pants off?”</p><p>“Hey,” Robin said smiling widely, “this is our first date, my pants are staying on.”</p><p>“Dammit,” Tammy said, snapping her fingers in fake defeat.</p><p>“Maybe if there’s a third date… ” Robin said, letting her voice trail off suggestively. </p><p>“Well,” Tammy said, “since you’re my super hot multilingual girlfriend, I’m sure we’ll get there.” Robin grinned at her and Tammy grinned back.</p><p>“Kiss me?” Robin asked and Tammy nodded, leaning over the center console once more. And when their lips met again, Robin could swear that her happiness burned brighter than the sun itself.</p><p>~~~</p><p>El, Max, Erica, and Suzie were having what Max had dubbed “girl-time”. The three girls were holed up in Nancy’s room while Steve watched over the boys in the basement, presumably fretting over what to make for dinner. El watched as Max rummaged through one of Nancy’s vanity draws, pulling out a couple bottles of nail polish, one pale pink, the other deep purple.</p><p>“Which do you guys like?” Max asked, pulling out a few more: a sheer silver, a dark red, and a shiny gold one.</p><p>“Wear gold, Max,” El said. “It would look pretty with your hair.” </p><p>Max grinned widely, “You think?” El nodded in response. </p><p>Max said, “I’ll keep the gold then.” </p><p>“I like the purple,” Erica said, catching the purple bottle of nail polish easily when Max tossed it to her. She turned toward Suzie, who was unusually quiet. “Which color do you like?” Erica asked. </p><p>“I like the pink and silver,” Suzie said. She paused before saying, “Someone might have to help me. I’ve never painted my nails before.”</p><p>“Me neither,” El said. “We can learn together?” El’s eyes shone so brightly that Suzie couldn’t help but smile and nod at El’s hopefulness. </p><p>“Here,” Max said before through the two colors of nail polish at Suzie, who caught them easily. Max turned toward El and handed her the red nail polish. </p><p>“It’s the same as your hair,” El said, running a hand through Max’s fiery hair. </p><p>“Yeah,” Max said, “I guess it is. Is that okay?” </p><p>El nodded, “Pretty.”</p><p>The girls formed a circle on Nancy’s bedroom floor, sitting with their legs crossed so their knees bumped against one anothers. Soon, the smell of nail polish filled the air.</p><p>“Did you know that you can get high off of the scent of nail polish?” Suzie asked timidly as she tried painting one of El’s nails. Erica and Max shared a look before capping their nail polishes. </p><p>“No,” Max said, painting her nails again and stifling a giggle, “I didn’t know that.”</p><p>“I bet it can’t get you as high as Steve and Robin got last summer,” Erica said. </p><p>Max and El snorted while Suzie raised her eyebrows, “I didn’t peg Steve as a stoner.”</p><p>“Boy, would you like to know,” Max said. El started laughing.</p><p>“Stop moving!” Suzie said, smiling. “I’m getting nail polish everywhere, El!” </p><p>“It’s okay,” El said. “It’s still pretty.”</p><p>Erica resumed painting her nails when she said, “So you and Mike were on the porch for a long time, El. What did you do? Kiss?” Erica asked, laughing and making loud, smacking noises that made the other girls laugh.</p><p>“No!” El said, shaking her head furiously. “Mike broke up with me.”</p><p>“What?” Max asked. She sounded shocked.</p><p>“Yes,” El said. “Mike and I have decided to see other people.”</p><p>“What other people?” Suzie asked. “I thought you were so in love.”</p><p>“No,” El said. “Mike and I are not in love. We love each other but we are not in love.” </p><p>There was a long silence as the girls focused on their nails before Erica asked, “So who are you smooching now?”</p><p>“No one,” El said.</p><p>“Do you want to kiss someone?” Max asked El, looking at her face intently. El found herself shrugging, her face turning red. Max gasped, “Does Mike want to kiss someone?”</p><p>“That’s a secret,” El said. </p><p>“Friends don’t lie,” Max said, raising her eyebrows. </p><p>“Secrets and lies are different,” El said.</p><p>“Not really,” Erica said, smirking slightly. “They’re both not telling the truth. My mama says not telling the whole truth and keeping things away from people is the same thing as lying.”</p><p>“Well,” Suzie said, “lying is more malicious than keeping a secret.”</p><p>“Malicious?” El asked. </p><p>“It’s like when a person does something with the intent to hurt someone else,” Suzie said.</p><p>“Oh,” El said. “Malicious can be my third word of the day!” She chirped happily.</p><p>“You have words of the day?” Erica asked incredulously.</p><p>“Yes,” El said. “I have them to expand my vocabulary.”</p><p>“That’s kind of cool, El,” Suzie said. </p><p>“Thank you,” El said. </p><p>Suzie peered at El’s fingers, most of them came out okay, but the thumb was definitely lacking. El looked at them as well, “Pretty.”</p><p>“Oh, I’m glad you like them,” Suzie said, smiling softly. She looked at Max and Erica, “Thanks for including me in your girl-time. I love Dustin dearly, but I really needed this.”</p><p>Max grinned, “Well,” she said, “there is more to life than stupid boys.”</p><p>“Yeah,” El said. “Sometimes you have to give stupid boys the medicine.”</p><p>“What?” Erica asked. </p><p>“I think she means that you have to give stupid boys a taste of their own medicine,” Suzie explained, looking at El, who nodded in response.</p><p>“Mmmhmm,” El said. “Give them the medicine because we make our own rules.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Max said, still grinning. “Exactly.”</p><p>Erica snorted, “We should make our own party.”</p><p>“That’s badass,” Max said, “let’s do it.”</p><p>“Language,” Suzie said, but she felt happier than she had ever felt before in her life. She finally had friends. A real, tangible group of friends who painted nails and gossiped and enjoyed her company, her awkward factual anecdotes and everything. “But let’s do it,” Suzie said, “Let’s create our own party.” And the three other girls grinned at her. </p><p>~~~</p><p>“Hop?” Billy slurred, eyes blinking open when Hopper sat down on the edge of the bed of Murray’s guest room. “Hop? ’S that you, Hop?”</p><p>“It’s me, kid,” Hopper said, his voice as gruff as ever. “You did great out there.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Billy mumbled. “Hop?”</p><p>“Yeah, Billy?”</p><p>“Please don’t make me go back to Neil,” Billy whispered, his eyes fluttering close again. “Please don’t make me go back. Please, Hop, please. You gotta promise me that you’re not gonna send me back to him when this is over.”</p><p>“Billy…” Hopper said, his voice low.</p><p>“Promise me!” Billy said, his eyes closed and his voice urgent and hurting and Hopper’s heart twisted.</p><p>“I promise, Billy,” Hopper finally said, “I promise. You’re eighteen, right?”</p><p>Billy nodded wearily. </p><p>“Then you’re an adult,” Hopper said, “you can live anywhere without Neil’s permission.”</p><p>“Oh yeah,” Billy whispered. </p><p>Hopper ran a hand through Billy’s hair, mirroring what Joyce had done moments ago. He didn’t know how Billy would respond to what he was about to say, but he said it anyway, “You could live with me and El, Billy.”</p><p>“’Don’t have a job, Hop,” Billy said, “’Can’t pay rent.”</p><p>“Where are you planning on living then?” Hopper said.</p><p>“The back of my camaro. Wouldn’t have been the first time I’ve had to do that. Back in California, Neil beat the shit out of me a week before we moved to Hawkins, and I slept in my camaro for a few nights instead of going to the hospital.”</p><p>“You don’t have to pay rent if you want to live with me,” Hopper said, rage burning in his chest at the thought of Neil Hargrove beating Billy so badly that sleeping in his car was a better way to heal than sleeping in his own bed. “Just get a job and take some classes at the community college, maybe babysit El when Steve’s not around, and we’ll be good. Maybe eventually I could pull some strings and get you a job at the station.”</p><p>“Harrington?” Billy asked. “Pretty boy King Steve babysits for you?”</p><p>“Well, I wouldn’t call him pretty,” Hopper said, his voice teasing, “but, yeah. I didn’t wanna leave El alone with that shithead Mike during the weekdays, so Steve would babysit for me when he wasn’t working at Scoops. He’s a good kid.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Billy mumbled, “he is. I beat the shit outta him once though. He lied to me about where my sister was, and I just wanted to get Max and go home. Rough night and he lied to me. Hopper,” Billy breathed out, “I fucked up with Harrington.”</p><p>“I’m sure he’ll forgive you,” Hooper said, “Harrington’s got a heart of gold when he’s not throwing ragers.”</p><p>“I slammed a plate over his fuckin’ head, Hop,” Billy said. “I acted just like my fuckin’ father.” Billy scoffed before saying, “Well, actually, my mother.”</p><p>“Billy,” Hopper said, closing his eyes too, “I’m not good at these heart to heart things, but you need to try and let this shit go. My old man was just like Neil, and that type of shit will eat you alive if you let it. Please, if not for yourself or for Max or for me, don’t let Neil’s bullshit eat you alive for Harrington.”</p><p>Billy nodded then whispered, “I’m such a fuckin’ faggot, Hop.”</p><p>“I don’t care about that,” Hopper said. “You think just because you got some crush on Harrington that I’m going to let you go back to that shitstain Neil?” Hopper’s heart twisted again when Billy nodded, letting out a shaky breath. “Well, I’m not. I don’t care if you get your rocks off to a goddamn goat, I’m still gonna be there for you, kid. I don’t share my last pack of smokes with just anyone,” Hopper said, his chest constricting less when Billy’s face formed a small smile. “At least you got better taste than El. I mean, Mike Wheeler? Honestly,” Hopper said, shaking his head, grateful when Billy let out a small laugh. “Get some rest, Billy,” Hopper said, standing up. “We’ll deal with the rest of the demogorgon shits without you if we can. Sleep, you deserve it. I’ll get you when Dr. Owens gets here.”</p><p>“Thanks, Hop,” Billy said, his voice quiet, and Hopper decided he could stay with the kid until he fell asleep. “Of course,” Hopper said, “of course.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Tammy dropped Robin off at the Wheeler residence at a little past nine, and Robin could still taste Tammy’s lipgloss on her tongue. Robin’s heart was pounding when she realized that Tammy didn’t drive away until she was safely inside the Wheeler house, where Robin walked into the kitchen just to see Steve jabbing the Wheeler’s microwave furiously. </p><p>“Dingus, what are you doing?”</p><p>Steve whipped around, jumping slightly. “I um, Karen called and said that she, Ted, and Holly would be spending the night at her parent’s, so I’m in charge of dinner.”</p><p>“Nancy’s not helping at all?” Robin asked before saying, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”</p><p>Steve shrugged, “Nancy still has my BMW, and I’m not sure where she is right now. Come to think of it, Joyce and Jonathan still aren’t around either.”</p><p>Robin looked as the timer on the microwave went down every second, “Do you think we should be worried?”</p><p>“I don’t want to be worried,” Steve said. “I already sleep like shit, Robs, I don’t think I can handle the world ending again.” There was a hint of panic in his voice. “I know that makes me sound so fucking shitty, Robin, I know. But I can’t do it again. I can’t,” Steve seemed like he was two seconds away from a grade-A panic attack. “Robin, if I have to do that again, I will kill myself.”</p><p>“Steve,” Robin said, “can I hug you?” </p><p>Steve nodded and Robin wasn’t surprised; Steve was one of the most touch-starved people that she had ever met. She wrapped her arms around him, and Steve sagged into her warmth. Robin ran a hand through Steve’s hair, “Stevie,” Robin said quietly, “please don’t say that.”</p><p>“Robs,” Steve said, blinking rapidly so he could stop his tears from falling, “I can’t do it again. I really can’t. I can’t sleep, I always have my bat in my car, I can’t stop thinking about Hargrove. Hopper-” Steve started before letting loose a strangled sob. “Fuck, I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Hey, you’ve got nothing to be sorry about,” Robin said. “The world’s only ended for me once. You’ve been through that shit three times. So if you can’t handle being worried, then we won’t be worried. Let’s just say that Nancy and Jonathan are off taking care of Joyce. We know that Mrs. Byers can be a little unstable sometimes.”</p><p>Steve nodded, hitting Robin’s cheek with his head as he did, “Yeah. They’re just helping Joyce. It’s been hard for her, too.”</p><p>“It’s been hard for everyone, Stevie,” Robin said. The microwave beeped loudly, startling Steve out of Robin’s embrace.</p><p>“Sorry-” Steve started again but Robin interrupted him, “I already told you that you have nothing to be sorry for.”</p><p>Steve nodded as he grabbed the food he was heating up from the microwave and placed it on the counter. “So, how was your date?”</p><p>“Good,” Robin said, grinning. She sounded breathless, and her cheeks were flushed. “Really good.” </p><p>“Yeah?” Steve said. He looked up at her before grinning lopsidedly and poking at her cheek, “You’ve got lipgloss on your neck. Buckley, you dog!”</p><p>“Oh shut up, dingus,” Robin said, rolling her eyes. “Like you’ve never gotten lipgloss on your neck.”</p><p>“Not for awhile,” Steve said. He coughed before saying, “Not since Nancy.”</p><p>“That long?” Robin asked incredulously.</p><p>“In my defense,” Steve said, his voice not teasing any more, “I was actually really heartbroken after Nancy, I had lost my two asshole best friends, Hargrove arrived in all of his glory, and I was kind of too busy saving the world and lusting over a guy who beat my face in with a fucking plate to get laid by any chicks.”</p><p>“Point taken,” Robin said, trying not to snicker.</p><p>“What’s so funny?” Steve asked.</p><p>“Well,” Robin said, smirking, “just because you’re sad over Nancy and lusting over Hargrove doesn’t mean you can’t fuck anyone. In fact, after losing two friends and a girlfriend seems like a great time to have meaningless sex. Fucking someone would be abundantly more appealing after those two things.”</p><p>“Says the girl who pined over Tammy Thompson since the seventh grade.”</p><p>“How do you know that?”</p><p>“You’re not exactly quiet on the phone.”</p><p>“You snooped on me,” Robin said indignantly. “I can’t believe you snooped on me!”</p><p>“Yes you can,” Steve said. “That’s like all I do.”</p><p>“Creepy, Harrington,” Robin said, “That’s really creepy. Creepy like Jonathan before I got to know him.”</p><p>“Hey!” Steve said, “I’m not taking photos of girls having sex without their consent.”</p><p>“What?” Robin asked, her tone of voice suddenly very serious.</p><p>“Nevermind,” Steve said, shaking his head. “It’s not a big deal.”</p><p>“Uh, yeah,” Robin said, “It kind of is.”</p><p>“Well,” Steve said, “It was like the night after Will went missing I think, and I threw a party.” Robin raised her eyebrows at him and Steve said, “Well, not a party per say, but Carol, Tommy, Nancy, and Nancy’s friend Barb came over.” Steve looked down at his feet, “My parents weren’t home. I mean, they never are, but I thought that maybe they would at least come home in order to make sure that I was okay the day after a kid went fucking missing.” Steve laughed sadly, “I guess they just don’t care enough.” Steve shrugged, “Anyway, we were having fun, keeping our minds off of Will, and we ended up in my pool. And by we, I mean everyone but Barb.”</p><p>“Okay,” Robin said, nodding.</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, remembering. “So we get out of the pool and we get dried off and that was the night Nancy and I first slept together. But my curtains weren’t drawn and Jonathan was in the woods, and he kind of um, took photos of Nancy and I. But mostly Nancy,” Steve said quickly. “He developed them in the dark room at school, and this chick Nicole told us about it, and I ended up breaking Jonathan’s camera the afternoon I found out about it.”</p><p>Robin gaped at Steve, “That’s fucked up.”</p><p>“I know,” Steve said, “I was kind of an asshole during school. I shouldn’t have broken his camera.”</p><p>“What?” Robin asked. “Steve, I was saying that what Jonathan did was fucked up.”</p><p>“Oh,” Steve said.</p><p>Robin nudged Steve’s arm, “Maybe you weren’t such an asshole in high school. You were a big softie all along.”</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve asked, mildly offended.</p><p>“I mean, the only reason why you broke Jonathan’s camera was because he was being a creepy asshole. I would’ve done the same thing as you did,” Robin said. “In fact, I punched Tommy H. during one of the ragers you threw.”</p><p>“What?” Steve said, his jaw dropping. </p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said smugly. “Tammy forced me to go to one of your dumb parties when we were in 9th grade and Tommy and Carol had some huge blowout fight and he tried to make moves on Tammy even though she was young and drunk. So I punched him.”</p><p>“Tommy fucking what?” Steve asked, seething. “Oh I could kill him. I can’t believe he did that. What an asshole.”</p><p>“Yeah, but he was bruised for a good while.”</p><p>“Oh my god,” Steve said, “I remember that now! He refused to tell us who hit him that hard. I can’t believe that was you!”</p><p>“I know,” Robin said, flipping her hair, “I’m just that cool.”</p><p>“Hah,” Steve said, “sure.” He looked down at the food on the counter and said, “I’m gonna have to heat this up again before the shitheads eat it, aren’t I?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, “Probably.”</p><p>“Dammit,” Steve said as he put it back in the microwave. “The shitheads are never gonna get to bed.”</p><p>Robin snorted, “Don’t worry, Mom, we’ll tuck them in before midnight.”</p><p>“Fuck off, Buckley.”</p><p>“We have to make sure they wash their hands before eating. Don’t want them getting diseased. You’ll remind them, right Mom?”</p><p>“I seriously hate you.”</p><p>“No you don’t.”</p><p>Steve sighed, shaking his head, “You’re right, I don’t. But you’re really fucking annoying sometimes, you know that?”</p><p>~~~</p><p>The party gathered around the table, Erica and Lucas sharing a moment of familial closeness by choosing to sit next to one another. Steve and Robin placed different platters of leftover Christmas dishes on the table - microwaved excellently, if Steve did say so himself - in front of them before he and Robin sat down next to one another.</p><p>“After dinner,” Steve said, “The people staying here for the night will brush their teeth.”</p><p>“Sailor boy, who’s staying the night?” Erica said, her mouth full of food. </p><p>“Chew with your mouth closed,” Steve said, “Your mother would be horrified. But, everyone but you, Lucas, Dustin, and Suzie are staying. I arranged rides and everything. Mrs. Henderson will be dropping you and Lucas off at your house before taking Dustin and Suzie home.”</p><p>“That is so unfair, Steve,” Erica whined after she finished chewing. She placed her fork on her napkin, “Why can’t everyone stay the night?”</p><p>“Because rules are rules,” Steve said, picking at his own plate. He was lacking an appetite, his gut twisted with worry that he promised himself earlier wouldn’t be there. Steve dumped what little food he had onto Dustin’s plate and ignored both Dustin and Robin’s worried looks. </p><p>“Then why does Max get to stay here?” Erica asked and Lucas hissed her name, hitting her arm lightly with the hand he wasn’t using to hold his fork.</p><p>“Because my stepfather beats me,” Max said dryly, pointing at her face, and everyone shifted uncomfortably in their chairs and focused intently on their meals. Nobody responded but Suzie, who squeezed Max’s hand from across the table before leaning her head on Dustin’s shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head.</p><p>“Will you be okay?” El asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Max said, “I’m always okay.”</p><p>“We can band together and fight Neil,” Will suggested from the head of the table and Lucas nodded enthusiastically, as well as Dustin.</p><p>“Totally,” Dustin agreed in between gulps of mashed potatoes, “Plus, Mr. Clarke taught us enough about the human brain for us to make his murder look like he just bumped his head.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Lucas said, picking at his broccoli. “All extremely valid points.”</p><p>“And extremely violent,” Suzie added, focusing on her green beans.</p><p>“Well, it’s not like Mr. Hargrove is a pacifist,” Mike said. “Plus, Dustin told us that Steve still has his bat in his trunk -”</p><p>“Dustin!” Steve said, annoyed and cutting Mike off from his train of thoughts, “I can’t believe you told them about that.”</p><p>“I just told them about the bat!” Dustin said defensively. “In case we ever needed it. And it looks like we might.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Mike said, “Friends don’t lie, Steve.”</p><p>“Oh that’s rich,” Steve said. “Do I misremember last summer, or did you tell El the whole truth about why you couldn’t see her?”</p><p>“Oh screw off,” Mike said angrily and Will put a hand on Mike’s arm. Mike’s body immediately lost all of its tension, and he looked at Steve and said, “I didn’t want to lie to her. I was put in a difficult situation. Plus, I wasn’t her friend when I lied to her, I was her <em> boyfriend</em>.”</p><p>“That’s even worse, Mike,” Robin said before Steve could respond. “You’re not supposed to lie to your significant other even more than you’re not supposed to lie to your friends.”</p><p>“Yeah, well,” Mike said, “I guess I was a shitty boyfriend then.”</p><p>“<em>Was </em>?” Dustin, Lucas, and Will exclaimed while Robin and El shared a knowing look. Steve’s face contorted in confusion and the girls just stifled their giggles.</p><p>“Why are you guys laughing?” Dustin asked, looking at Suzie and then glancing at Max, Erica, and finally, El. “What’s so funny?”</p><p>“You did not know that Mike dumped me,” El said, laughing. “I already told my party.”</p><p>“Your party?” Lucas asked incredulously.</p><p>“Yes,” El said. “Suzie and Max and Erica and I are our own party. Like your party, but girls.”</p><p>“But you’re already part of our party,” Will said, confused. </p><p>“We can belong to more than one party,” Max said.</p><p>“No you can’t,” Mike said, “That’s totally against the rules.”</p><p>“We make our own rules,” El said with such conviction that Robin snorted on her drink and Steve elbowed her arm, shaking his head slightly at her. </p><p>“Why did you break up?” Dustin asked, looking around wildly. Suzie rubbed his arm comfortingly.</p><p>“We’re just not right for each other,” Mike said.</p><p>“We have decided to see other people,” El said, blushing slightly. </p><p>“Really?” Will asked and Steve swore there was a hint of wistfulness in the kid’s voice. </p><p>Mike nodded as he picked on his food, “Really.”</p><p>“Why didn’t you tell us?” Lucas asked, putting his fork down on the table. “What the hell, man? Aren’t we best friends?”</p><p>“Well, I’d call Will my -” Mike started but Lucas cut him off with a glare.  </p><p>Dustin nodded furiously, “Yeah, Mike, what the hell?”</p><p>“Look, I’m sorry that I’ve been an asshole but I didn’t think it was that important. There’s more to life than girlfriends and relationships and everything,” Mike said, raising his hands in defeat and Steve had to fight the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes.</p><p>“Yeah,” Lucas said, “but I told you guys when Max and I officially ended it.”</p><p>“Well, Stalker,” Max said, pushing her plate toward Lucas. She, like Steve, seemed completely disinterested in her meal, “We told everyone together.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Lucas said, “but still. We told them.” He looked at the food Max sent his way. “Can I have this?” Max nodded in response and Lucas started scarfing it down.</p><p>“Okay,” Mike said, “I’m sorry. Jesus Christ.” Will rubbed Mike’s arm comfortingly again. “I’ll make sure to keep everyone up to date with my romantic life in the future,” Mike said. “Now can you stop interrogating me?”</p><p>“We weren’t interrogating you,” Dustin said. </p><p>“It sure felt like it,” Mike said.</p><p>“Well, we weren’t,” Dustin said. “Our party has rules, Mike-”</p><p>“Oh my God, shut up!” Max cried out. “I can’t take your bickering anymore. You girls both look very pretty, now make up and stop arguing.”</p><p>Robin and Steve looked at one another, sharing secret smirks as Robin sipped on her coke. They were impressed by Max’s outburst. </p><p>Max turned to Steve, “Can you take me back to Neil’s tonight?”</p><p>Robin and Steve shared a look as the table went deathly silent, everyone staring at Steve, looking at him with wide, expectant eyes. “Max,” Steve said gently, “are you sure that’s the best idea?”</p><p>Max leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, “I’m not an idiot, Steve Harrington. I won’t stay inside the house for long.” She lowered her voice before saying, “I just want to snag Billy’s jacket before Neil throws all his stuff out.”</p><p>“Neil’s throwing Billy’s stuff out?” Steve asked, suddenly all too aware of all of the eyes on him. </p><p>“Yes,” Max said calmly. “I tried convincing him to keep Billy’s stuff but,” Max started blinking rapidly, “he was already mad at me for sharing a bed with El, and for being in Billy’s room.” Her voice caught in her throat as she said, “So this happened,” and pointed at her face.</p><p>“Let me come too,” El said.</p><p>“What?” Steve said. “No. Guys, it’s really late and I don’t think that it’s safe to go back to that house, Max.”</p><p>“Well, where am I supposed to go after a couple of nights?” Max asked fiercely.</p><p>“You can live with us!” Mike’s voice piped up. “Nancy’s moving out soon for college, you can have her room! You could live in the basement like El did.” There was a hint of panic in his voice.</p><p>“You can’t go back there,” Lucas said desperately, “it’s not safe.”</p><p>“Well none of you seemed to care when Billy was Neil’s punching bag.”</p><p>“Not true,” El said. </p><p>“No, it is true,” Max said, glaring at her friends. “None of you guys wanted me to stop going home when Billy was getting beaten every night, and you all knew about that!”</p><p>“He was gross,” Dustin said. “And you weren’t getting hurt then.”</p><p>“So?” Max said. “It was still unsafe. And just because Billy is gross doesn’t mean he-he-he <em> deserves </em> that.” She was breathing heavily again. Steve wondered if Max was aware that she was talking as if Billy was still alive, but didn’t have the heart to bring it up to her.</p><p>“You’re right,” Will said suddenly and Max’s eyes snapped up to him. “You’re right, Max. Nobody deserves to be abused. Max,” Will said, “I promise that we’ll get you Billy’s jacket, even if we have to go dumpster diving for it. But not tonight, okay? Today’s been hard enough already.”</p><p>Max relented, slumping into her seat, “Fine.”</p><p>“Steve and I will take you and El first thing in the morning,” Robin said, voice gentle. </p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, immediately agreeing with Robin. He sent her a grateful look. “Will’s right, Max. It’s too late to go over and it’s already been a long enough day. Robin and I will take you and El tomorrow. Before breakfast even. Is that okay?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Max said. “Whatever.”</p><p>“Not whatever,” El said, taking Max’s hands in hers. She rubbed her thumb over Max’s knuckles, “You care about Billy’s jacket. It’s not whatever.”</p><p>“I don’t care anymore,” Max said, rubbing her face with her hands.</p><p>“Lies,” El said. “Max, friends don’t lie. It’s okay to care about Billy’s jacket.”</p><p>“No, it’s not,” Max said, her voice venomous. “Billy is an asshole. He treated me like shit. I shouldn’t give a damn about his dumbass fucking leather jacket!”</p><p>“He was your brother,” Suzie said. “It’s okay to care about your brother!”</p><p>“Yeah!” Erica said. “Max, I know Billy wasn’t the best older brother, but it’s still okay to care about him. I’m not a good younger sister, but if I died, I know Lucas would be upset that I can’t play D&amp;D anymore.”</p><p>“It’s true,” Lucas said. “No matter how much of an asshole Billy was, no matter how angry he was, he was still your brother.”</p><p>Dustin nodded in agreement, “He still took you to school every morning and drove you to the arcade when Steve couldn’t and bought you a skateboard for Christmas.”</p><p>“You should miss your brother, no matter how dickish he was,” Mike said. “I hate to break it to you, Zoomer, but your feelings make sense.” </p><p>“He was your family, Max. And you should be able to grieve the way you need to. And if that means you keep Billy’s necklace and leather jacket, that means you keep Billy’s necklace and leather jacket,” Will said and everyone nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Yeah,” Max said. “Okay.” She turned to Steve and Robin, an indecipherable look on her face. “You’re taking me and El tomorrow to get Billy’s jacket.”</p><p>“Yes,” Robin said. “Of course.”</p><p>“Yes,” Steve echoed.</p><p>“Okay,” Max said, nodding, clenching her fingers against the table until her knuckles turned white. “Okay.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Hopper exited Murray’s guest room expecting all eyes to be on him, but he didn’t quite understand what that would feel like until he lived it. Joyce, Jonathan, Nancy, Kali, and Murray all looked at him as though he knew the secrets of the universe.</p><p>“What?” Hopper snapped, feeling cagey under their gaze.</p><p>“Is he okay, Hop?” Joyce asked, fiddling with the cigarette between her lips. Hopper had forgotten how intensely he had longed for a cigarette until he saw Joyce smoking.</p><p>“Billy will be fine,” Hopper said absently, waving toward the guest room. “He’s sleeping. I want a fucking cigarette.” Joyce quietly reached into her pockets and handed Hopper a cigarette with shaking hands.</p><p>“Joyce,” Hopper murmured as he lit the cigarette, letting the smoke fill his lungs the nicotine fill his blood, “Billy’s okay.”</p><p>“Are you okay?” Joyce asked. “Jim, are you okay?”</p><p>“’Course I’m okay,” Hopper said, letting the cigarette smoke waft in the air around him. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”</p><p>“Don’t be obtuse,” Joyce said, placing her hands on her hips. </p><p>Hopper sighed, “Kitchen, Joyce. Now.” Joyce nodded and followed Hopper into the kitchen, Jonathan, Nancy, Kali, and Murray’s eyes trained on their backs.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Thursday, December 26th, 1985 - Friday, December 27th, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What’s going on, Hop?” Joyce asked, wrapping her coat tightly around her body as Hopper closed the kitchen door behind them. She looked at him expectantly, her back pressed against Murray’s dingy cupboards, her hands gripping the countertops as a cigarette dangled between her lips. “Jim, are you okay?”</p><p>“I don’t know, Joyce,” Hopper said quietly. “I don’t fucking know.”</p><p>“Well, it’s okay to not know. After what you’ve been through that’s quite understandable.”</p><p>“I just want to go home,” Hopper said. “But I don’t even have a home to go back to.”</p><p>“Of course you do,” Joyce said, “you still have your trailer.” </p><p>“I’m not taking El and Kali and Billy to live in a fucking trailer, Joyce.”</p><p>“Okay,” Joyce said, putting her hands up in the sky in defeat. “Okay, there are houses in Hawkins you can buy, and I’m sure they’ll give you your job position back. They can’t fire you because you were tortured by Russians for a few months. That can’t exactly be called six months of vacation time.”</p><p>“Joyce,” Hopper said, “I don’t want to take my kids to live in a trailer, and I don’t want to be the fucking police Chief of Hawkins if you’re not living in Hawkins anymore.”</p><p>“Hopper, I’m not uprooting my children again.”</p><p>“Uprooting your children? Joyce,” Hopper said, nearly begging Joyce to understand what he was saying, “Jonathan’s going to college next year, Will and El’s friends all live in Hawkins. You’re not uprooting anyone.”</p><p>Joyce sighed as she took the cigarette out of her mouth and put it out in the ashtray near Murray’s sink. She watched Hopper smoke for a few moments of silence until she said, “What are you suggesting?”</p><p>"Lets buy a house together,” Hopper said. “Lets move in together.”</p><p>Joyce gave Hopper a small smile, her voice teasing as she said, “Wow, Hop, you’re six months late to our date and now you’re expecting us to move in together. Don’t you think things are moving a little too quickly?”</p><p>“No,” Hopper said seriously. He pulled Joyce to him and kissed the top of her head as she buried her face in his chest. “Joyce, you’ve been my only friend since fucking high school. Hawkins means nothing to me without you. I’ve been in the Upside Down with Billy for weeks on end and then I was tortured by Russians for a month. I’ve had a lot of time to think, Joyce. You’re my home. Please, stay with me in Hawkins.”</p><p>Joyce mumbled a few unintelligible words into Hopper’s shirt.</p><p>“What was that?” Hopper asked, raising his eyebrows. “I couldn’t hear you.”</p><p>“Fuck you, Hopper,” Joyce said pulling away. “I said fine. I’ll come back to Hawkins. Hop, I- ” Joyce’s voice broke, “really missed you.”</p><p>“I really missed you too,” Hopper said. “And really? You’ll move back to Hawkins just like that?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Joyce said, nodding. “Of course. But I’m not going to move in with you. I hear that Scott Clarke is looking for a roommate.”</p><p>Hopper’s eyes narrowed, “Nancy told me that Clarke’s fucking engaged, Joyce.”</p><p>Joyce looked up at Hopper, mirth dancing in her eyes. “I was joking, Hopper. Of course I’ll move in with you, you idiot.”</p><p>“I’m the idiot?” Hopper asked. “At least I don’t find Scott fucking Clarke attractive.”</p><p>“Contrary to popular belief, but I don’t find my son’s science teacher attractive either,” Joyce protested, laughing into Hopper’s chest.</p><p>“That’s not what I remember,” Hopper said. “I know I don’t have the best memory, but I distinctly remember being stood up because someone had to understand electromagnetic fields and just had to learn from Scott Clarke how to do so.”</p><p>“It wasn’t a date,” Joyce said, “so I didn’t stand you up. And you were such an ass afterwards.”</p><p>“Yeah, whatever,” Hopper said. </p><p>“It’s true,” Joyce said, “you acted like a total dick afterwards. I’m surprised I even agreed to go on a date with you after all that bullshit you pulled.”</p><p>“Hmmmm,” Hopper hummed, “and now we’re moving in together.”</p><p>“Unless I break up Scott’s engagement and move in with him.”</p><p>“That is not funny, Joyce.”</p><p>“It kind of is.”</p><p>“Not really.”</p><p>“I like it when you’re jealous,” Joyce said, shaking her head in amusement. "As goddamn annoying as it is, it's pretty amusing to rile you up."</p><p>“You like when I’m a jealous asshole?” Hopper asked. “Me being jealous of a fucking middle school science teacher feels like I’m back in high school, pining over you while being jealous of fucking Lonnie Byers, loner asshole supreme, while I was the star of the basketball team.” </p><p>Joyce laughed again, “You pined over me in high school?”</p><p>Hopper scoffed, “Of course I did. You’re well, you.”</p><p>“Is that why you took me to the diner and shared your cigarettes with me?”</p><p>“Nah,” Hopper said. “I did that because you were my best friend. I gave you my letterman jacket because I liked you.”</p><p>“I still have that,” Joyce said. “When Lonnie and I got married, he wanted me to throw it out but I refused to. He was convinced I was madly in love with you in high school, even though Lonnie and I started dating our senior year.”</p><p>“Are you saying you weren’t in love with me in high school?” Hopper asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Joyce said, “that’s what I’m saying.”</p><p>Hopper scoffed, “You wore my letterman jacket to every single one of my basketball games.”</p><p>“So?” Joyce asked into Hopper’s chest, not caring that he was getting smoke in her hair.</p><p>“So you hate basketball,” Hopper said.</p><p>“How do you know that?” Joyce asked.</p><p>“Because,” Hopper said, “I know you, you moron.”</p><p>“Do you - Do you ever think of how - how maybe, if-if we were less stupid in high school, that Jonathan and Will would be yours?” Joyce whispered. She took the cigarette out of her mouth and put it out on the ashtray on the counter.</p><p>“Yeah,” Hopper said truthfully. “Every time I see them.”</p><p>“Really?” Joyce asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Hopper said, nodding. “I can’t believe that you ended up marrying that piece of human garbage, Lonnie Byers.”</p><p>“Well, I can’t believe that you married Diane,” Joyce countered. “God, she smacked her lips and blew bubblegum like a whore.”</p><p>“Joyce!” Hopper said, scandalized. </p><p>“It’s true,” Joyce said. “Tell me I’m wrong.”</p><p>“I can’t,” Hopper said.</p><p>“I shouldn’t say that though,” Joyce said absently. “We’re friends now.”</p><p>“You and Diane are friends now?” Hopper asked incredulously. </p><p>Joyce nodded, “Yup. She went to your funeral and we’ve been writing letters ever since. She was really understanding and helped me through my grief more than Karen did, and nearly as much as Murray did. I babysat her daughter Jennifer for her once when she and Bill traveled for work in the town I live in now.”</p><p>Hopper was at a loss for words. “I love you,” he blurted out.</p><p>“That’s what makes you say that?” Joyce asked, laughing. “But I love you too.”</p><p>“I can’t believe I’m gonna skip over the first date and go straight to moving in with Joyce fucking Byers,” Hopper said, wonder in his voice.</p><p>“Oh shut up, asshole,” Joyce said. “Shut up.”</p><p>“Make me,” Hopper said.</p><p>Joyce smiled up at him. She had to go on her tiptoes before taking the cigarette out of Hopper’s mouth and placing a gentle kiss onto Hopper’s lips. She blinked up at him when she landed back on her feet, her eyelashes long and her brown eyes wide and beautiful as she placed Hopper’s cigarette in her mouth. Something inside Hopper’s gut churned painfully and he scooped Joyce up in his arms, not caring that his ribs were bruised and that his arms were horribly sore, enjoying the feeling of Joyce’s legs wrapping around his waist as she flicked his cigarette into the ashtray, and kissed him sloppily. </p><p>The lights flickered again and Joyce and Hopper pulled apart.</p><p>“Fuck,” Joyce said as Hopper put her down.</p><p>“We’ll pick up where we left off after this bullshit?” Hopper asked, the flickering lights becoming more intense.</p><p>Joyce narrowed her eyes at him, “You just wanna get in my pants.”</p><p>“Joyce,” Hopper said, his voice low and earnest before he opened the kitchen door, “you know that’s not true.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>After dinner, Max slipped out of the Wheeler's back door, and sat herself down on Will's Castle Byers swing, hoping to catch a moment alone. The day had been long, and Max was feeling almost numb from missing her brother and having Neil beat her face in all in one day. The cold winter air burned her lungs, and was a painful, wonderful reminder of how alive she was. Max had just started to actually swing when she saw Will step onto the pack porch and make his way toward her. He stopped by the trunk of the tree that the swing was tied to, leaned against it, and looked at Max expectantly. Max stopped swinging.</p><p>"What's up?" Max asked, huffing slightly. The air was still burning her chest and she still liked it.</p><p>"Nothing much," Will said. He paused as if thinking about what he wanted to say next. "Are you going to be okay?"</p><p>Max shrugged. She turned so her whole body was facing Will. "You have an asshole father?" She asked.</p><p>"Yeah," Will said, laughing humorlessly. "Not something I really like to talk about, but since you have an asshole father too, I'll tell you a little about him."</p><p>"You really don't have to," Max said. She was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.</p><p>"He hated Jonathan and I," Will said, "and I think he used to hit my mom."</p><p>Max's eyebrows raised at that. She had never thought that Joyce could be in the same position her own mother was in now. "Really?"</p><p>Will nodded, "Yeah. He didn't like that Mom had Hopper over sometimes without his permission. He didn't like that Jonathan's only childhood friend was Nancy, and he hated his interest in photography." Will paused, "But do you know what he hated the most?"</p><p>"What?" Max asked.</p><p>"Me," Will said. "He hates me with every ounce of his being. You wanna know why?"</p><p>"Why?" Max asked quietly.</p><p>"Because I'm a faggot," Will said. He took a deep breath, this was the first time he'd ever told someone what he'd been agonizing over for years. "He hated me because I'm queer, Max. And he hated that I preferred drawing over sports and Hopper over him."</p><p>Max wrung her hands in her lap, "My father didn't even fight to have me stay in California with him after Neil decided we were going to move. And Neil, well, he's just like your father."</p><p>"I figured," Will said. "Don't let it get to you. Just because you're in love with El doesn't mean that Neil is right about you, or that you deserve what he did to you today."</p><p>"Are you sure?" Max said quietly. She felt like crying but she had no more tears left in her.</p><p>Will nodded, "I'm positive."</p><p>"Well," Max said, "just because you're in love with Mike doesn't mean you deserved anything your father did to you either."</p><p>"Thank you," Will said. "If you ever need to talk about queer things or bullshit fathers, I'm here for you."</p><p>Max nodded, getting off of the swing. "Same goes for you," she said, walking toward Will. When she got to him, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her forehead the way Joyce would kiss his after a particularly nasty night with Lonnie. </p><p>"Thank you, Will," Max said, her voice breaking. Her tears had begun to fall, but Will continued to hold her. "I'm not going to let you go, Max," Will said quietly. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." Max's sobs got louder and Will rubbed small circles into Max's back. "Max," he whispered, "It's going to be okay. Let it all out." They stood outside, crying, until the night froze their tears onto their cheeks. </p><p>~~~</p><p>El and Max trudged up the stairs and into Nancy’s room, closing the door softly behind them. Max flopped onto Nancy’s bed as soon as the door closed and El followed suit, although a bit more gracefully. The clock on Nancy’s bedside table told Max that it was past midnight, and she was unhappy about it. </p><p>“You don’t owe people shit,” El said. </p><p>“What?” Max asked, turning onto her good side in order to face El. </p><p>“You don’t owe people shit,” El repeated.</p><p>“Who told you that?” Max asked, a smile gracing her lips.</p><p>“Robin,” El said. “It means that you can do whatever you want to do, Max.”</p><p>“I know,” Max said, brushing a piece of El’s hair out of her face. </p><p>“So you can fix Billy’s car and sleep in Billy’s bed and wear Billy’s necklace and lay in Billy’s jacket and wear Billy’s earring and use Billy’s hairspray if you want to,” El said. “Because you don’t owe people shit, and you don’t owe Neil shit.”</p><p>“I like your line of thinking, El,” Max said, smiling brightly. “How do you think I would look with an earring?”</p><p>“Bitchin’,” El said, grinning right back at Max. </p><p>“Really?” Max asked.</p><p>“Yes,” El said. “With Billy’s earring you would be bitchin’ and pretty.”</p><p>“Pretty?” Max said, and El could tell she was turning pink even though the room was dark. </p><p>“Yes,” El said, her eyes wide and serious. “You are a pretty girl, Max.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Max said, hating the shakiness of her voice. “You’re a pretty girl too, El.”</p><p>El said, “Max, I need to tell you a secret.”</p><p>“What is it?” Max whispered.</p><p>“Only Robin knows,” El said quietly. She paused. Then: “I want to kiss you.”</p><p>Max’s mouth dried and she sat up in Nancy’s bed, El following suit. “El,” Max whispered. “Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yes,” El said, nodding. “Mike was my first boyfriend, but I want you to be my first girlfriend.”</p><p>“First?” Max asked, quirking an eyebrow.</p><p>“Yes,” El said.</p><p>“First implies that there will be other girlfriends after me,” Max said, crossing her arms. But she was smiling and blushing furiously. </p><p>“I want you to be my girlfriend, Max,” El said, her cheeks turning pink.</p><p>“Really?” Max asked.</p><p>“Yes,” El said.</p><p>“Kiss me,” Max said. “Kiss me, and I’ll be your girlfriend.” El leaned forward and kissed Max gently on the lips. They both giggled when they broke apart, fingers interlaced and foreheads still touching. “Kiss me again,” Max said.</p><p>“The door isn’t open three inches,” El said.</p><p>“Screw three inches,” Max said, “we make our own rules.”</p><p>El laughed, “Yeah, screw three inches.” But there was a twinge in her stomach as she thought about Hopper, and the smile died from her lips.</p><p>“If you want the door open three inches,” Max whispered, noting El’s change in demeanor, “we can open it.”</p><p>“Let's open it,” El said, “even though we make our own rules.”</p><p>Max kissed El’s nose before hopping off of the bed and opening the door slightly. “That good?” She asked, turning toward El. El nodded happily, and patted next to her. Max launched herself onto Nancy’s bed, not caring if she reopened any of her injuries.</p><p>“Kiss me again?” Max asked, and El nodded, smiling into their kiss.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Robin and Steve shared the pullout couch that resided in the Wheeler’s living room. Robin laid on her stomach, her legs sprawled over Steve’s body, and Steve’s arm slung across her shoulders.</p><p>“The shitheads will definitely think we’re dating after tonight,” Steve mumbled into his pillow.</p><p>“I don’t care,” Robin said. “If I had to be stuck with a guy for life, you aren’t that bad of a dude, Harrington.”</p><p>“Gee thanks,” Steve said, “I can’t tell if I should be honored or not.”</p><p>“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Robin said, “I’m dating someone.”</p><p>“I know,” Steve said dryly. He yawned and Robin maneuvered herself so that she could run her fingers through Steve’s hair, Steve nearly purring at the feeling. </p><p>“Robin?” Steve hummed, his eyes closed.</p><p>“Yeah?” Robin said.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“For?”</p><p>“Being around,” Steve sighed. “You’re always with me, Robin, and I’ve never had anyone who’s always with me. Tommy and Carol used to hang out without me all the time, Nancy used to spend more time with Jonathan than with me, Dustin has friends his own age, and my parents aren’t in Hawkins for long enough to do anything other than give me a list of chores and berate me for not being smart enough to live up to my father’s expectations.”</p><p>“Steve,” Robin said, ruffling his hair again, “you have a family in me, all right? We’re gonna be together now forever because of those dumbass Russians. I’m always gonna be around. And you know what?”</p><p>“What?” Steve asked.</p><p>“Your parents fucking suck,” Robin said. “They don’t fucking deserve you.”</p><p>“They’re right, you know,” Steve said, sitting up suddenly. “I wasn’t good at school. I can’t write for shit, I barely passed Mrs. Click’s class, I had to be tutored in geometry, I got a C minus in chemistry and that was my highest grade for Christ’s sake. I’m dumb. I’m just dumb fucking Steve Harrington. I was only liked because I have a big empty house. Everybody likes Steve Harrington but nobody likes <em> me</em>, Robin.”</p><p>“I like you,” Robin said without missing a beat. She was sitting up like Steve was, their knees knocking together. “I like you, Steve. It’s shocked me to my core, but I really do like you. I know I joke about your high school douchebaggery, but I’m starting to think that perhaps you weren’t even that big of a douche then. Steve,” Robin said, and there was an urgency in her voice. “You gotta listen to me when I tell you that you’re the best person I know. Don’t listen to whatever dumbass shit your parents tell you.” </p><p>Steve shrugged, “I don’t know what to do, Robin. I have no future. You’re gonna go off to college in some grand city and leave me with the kids in this shitty town until they graduate and make something of themselves and I’ll be truly alone. Robin, I’m stupid. My dad won’t even give me a job at his firm, and I’m going to be working at a video store for the rest of my life.”</p><p>“It’s cute that you think that I’m not going to bring you with me when I go to college,” Robin said.</p><p>“What?” Steve asked, shocked.</p><p>“Dingus,” Robin said, “I’ve been saving up money and I’ll be able to afford an apartment by the time my college rejection or acceptance letters come back. You’re coming with me to college, Steve, even if you’re not going to school with me.”</p><p>Steve felt as though he was in shock. He didn’t know how to react. “You want to live with me?” Steve asked weakly.</p><p>“Um, yeah,” Robin said, nodding and tugging on her ear the way she did when she got nervous. “If that’s alright with you.”</p><p>“Alright with me?” Steve asked. “That’s fucking fantastic, Robin! I never in a million years thought that we could be like an actual, real family.”</p><p>“Steve, I hate to break this to you, but I spend more time with you than I do with any of my siblings or my parents. You’re my family as much as I am yours.”</p><p>“Holy shit,” Steve said, brown eyes wide.</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, “holy shit.”</p><p>“I still don’t know what I’m going to do with the rest of my life,” Steve said, laying back down. Robin laid down next to him, tucking her head in the space between Steve’s ribs and his shoulder. </p><p>“That’s okay,” Robin said, feeling soothed by the steady beat of Steve’s heart. He was alive. So fucking alive. “You’re still a fucking teenager, Steve. You’ve got all the time in the world.”</p><p>“You think so?” Steve asked, and Robin liked the way Steve’s voice vibrated in his chest before making its way out of his throat. He was so fucking alive. </p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said. They laid together in silence before Robin said, “Why don’t you become a mechanic?”</p><p>“What?” Steve asked.</p><p>“You could be a mechanic,” Robin said. “You know, fixing cars and shit. Nancy comes to you when she has car troubles before she goes to Jonathan. Even though you two are painfully awkward around each other, she still prefers your help with cars, and you helped Max fix Billy’s camaro. You could be a mechanic for a living.”</p><p>“Oh my god,” Steve breathed out, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off of his chest. “You’re right, Robin. Jesus Christ, you’re right.”</p><p>“I know,” Robin said. “I’m always right.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay.”</p><p>“Tell me one time that I’ve been wrong, dingus.” Robin was only met with silence so she said, “Exactly. I’m always right.”</p><p>“Fine, you’re always right.”</p><p>“Steve?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“You’re not dumb,” Robin said. “It’s horrible that Hopper was the first person in your life to treat you as though you’re intelligent. Because you are intelligent, Stevie. You’re just not book smart, and that’s okay.”</p><p>“Your GPA is higher than Nancy’s, Robin.”</p><p>“So?” Robin said. “That’s just bullshit, okay. Complete and utter bullshit, Steve. You’re brave and caring and funny and gentle. You’re a real, whole person. Who gives a fuck if you got a C minus in chemistry or if you failed Mrs. Click’s class? Steve, life doesn’t end after high school.” </p><p>“Usually life doesn’t end after high school,” Steve whispered, once again thinking about Billy Hargrove and the tongue that hung out of his mouth. </p><p>“Usually,” Robin agreed.</p><p>Steve yawned. “I’m sorry, I’m just tired.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Robin said, closing her eyes. “I’m tired too.”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“For?”</p><p>“Making me feel like I’m worth something.”</p><p>“Of course, Steve,” Robin said quietly. “Of course.”</p><p>“Robin?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Have you been getting nightmares again?”</p><p>“Yes,” Robin said. “I haven’t slept a full night since the last time we had a sleepover.”</p><p>Steve yawned again, “Robs, that was like two weeks ago now.” He was closing his eyes, his body heavy with sleep. </p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, yawning. “You’re giving me your damn yawns, Steve. And I know. But you’re not doing any better.”</p><p>“I know,” Steve said. </p><p>“Lets try and sleep,” Robin said, her eyelids starting to feel too heavy to keep open.</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, mumbling slightly.</p><p>“I love you,” Robin said, and she smiled when Steve said, “I love you too, Robs.” </p><p>Steve kissed Robin’s forehead, and Robin relished in the fact that he was alive and breathing and warm right next to her. Robin fell into a deep, dreamless sleep for the first time in two weeks, her mind soothed by the steady sound of Steve’s soft snoring right next to her.</p><p>~~~  </p><p>“So,” Will said, sitting awkwardly on the side of Mike’s bed. He didn’t know why he was even on Mike’s bed; Karen had set up a trundle for him in Mike’s room, complete with a comforter and everything. “You and El broke up?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Mike said, and he seemed as fidgety as Will felt.</p><p>“Why?” Will asked. He tried to keep the hopefulness out of his voice, “Are you really interested in seeing other… people?”</p><p>“Yeah. I love her, but I’m not um, in love with her? You know?”</p><p>Will nodded, “I know, Mike.”</p><p>“Um,” Mike looked so awkward as he fiddled with the blanket on his bed. </p><p>“Yeah?” Will asked.</p><p>Mike shook his head, turning pink, feeling grateful that the lights in his room were off so that Will couldn’t see him blushing. <em> Will loves you. He looks at you with lovesick eyes. He talks about you with a lovesick voice </em>. “I just feel like I’m going crazy.” </p><p>“I feel that way all the time,” Will said. Will grabbed Mike’s hand as his voice became light, flirtatious almost, as he said, “Hey, well, if we’re both going crazy, then we’ll go crazy together, right?” </p><p>Mike smiled, laying down in his bed as Will followed suit, “Yeah. We’ll go crazy together.”</p><p>“Is that a promise?” Will asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Mike said, interlocking their pinky fingers, “it is.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Max and El crept down the Wheeler’s staircase early that morning to be met with the sight of Robin and Steve curled up together on the pullout couch. Max looked at El with a quirked eyebrow and El shrugged in return.</p><p>“They are such liars,” Max whispered. “They are totally fucking dating.”</p><p>“Not lying,” El whispered back. “Robin loves Steve, but Robin doesn’t want to kiss Steve.”</p><p>“Oh,” Max said quietly. “Does Steve want to kiss Robin?”</p><p>“No,” El said. She watched as Steve’s chest rose and fell with his snores, Robin’s hand on Steve’s stomach twitching every so often. “He wants to kiss someone else.”</p><p>“Who?” Max asked as they made their way into the kitchen. “Nancy?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Max gasped, “Jonathan?”</p><p>“No!” El said, laughing. “Not Jonathan.”</p><p>“I can’t think of anyone else,” Max said. “Not Carol or Tommy, right?”</p><p>“Not Carol,” El said. “Not Tommy.”</p><p>“Hmmmmm,” Max said, hopping on the counter in order to open one of the top cabinets. She took down a box of cereal from the cabinet and flung it at El, who caught it easily. “I don’t know who he wants to kiss. Tell me.”</p><p>“I can’t,” El said, thinking of Billy Hargrove, “it’s a secret.”</p><p>“It’s not Dustin, right?” Max asked. She frowned at El, “Neil says some really cruel stuff about Steve when he’s not around and I would hate for him to be right.”</p><p>“What does he say?” El asked. El felt angry as she looked around the kitchen for bowls and spoons, wishing she had her powers because it would be a lot easier to get what she needed if she had them. She finally found the bowls and spoons, and spun around to face Max, smiling proudly. </p><p>“He says that there’s something wrong with Steve because he hangs out with a bunch of kids all the time. He must be um, getting some sick pleasure from being around us all the time,” Max said, rolling her eyes and taking a bowl from El’s hand and placing it on the kitchen table. She poured cereal into the bowl and started eating it dry. “I don’t agree with him at all,” Max said quickly when she saw the anger simmering under El’s skin. </p><p>“Steve is not a bad man,” El said as she started pouring cereal into her bowl. “Steve is a good man. Like Hop. Neil needs to eat shit, Max.” </p><p>“El, oh my God!” Max said, stifling a giggle. She watched as El started eating her cereal dry like Max did. Max asked, “So he doesn’t want to kiss Dustin?”</p><p>“The only person who wants to kiss Dustin is his Suzie-Pooh,” El said. Max laughed a little too loudly and they stifled their snickers as Steve and Robin found their way into the kitchen, blinking the sleep out of their eyes.</p><p>“What’s so funny?” Steve asked, placing his hands on his hips.</p><p>“Nothing, Mom,” Max said, but she was trying not to laugh and Steve could tell.</p><p>“Yeah, Mom,” El said, “nothing is funny.”</p><p>“Okay,” Steve said, sharing a look with Robin. “You guys gonna be ready to get Billy’s jacket in thirty minutes?”</p><p>El and Max shared a look, then, linking their fingers together, they turned and nodded at Steve, “Yes.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Dr. Sam Owens arrived at Murray’s house in the early hours of Friday. He was let into the house by a haggard looking Jonathan Byers, who opened the door, an oversized t-shirt stained with a fluid that Sam recognized. It had come from the monsters that he had spent so long doing experiments on. Jonathan helped Sam carry some of his equipment inside of Murray’s house, not once complaining about the weight of his instruments.</p><p>“Be quiet,” Jonathan said, paying no attention to the axe that leaned against the railing of Murray’s stairwell. “Everyone’s trying to sleep.”</p><p>“What happened here?” Sam asked, horrified.</p><p>“We killed four of those demodogs, the monsters you worked with. Well, Billy killed one, my mom and I axed another one to death, Kali killed one, and Nancy and Murray handled the last one.” </p><p>“Jonathan?” Sam registered the voice as Nancy Wheeler’s and he secretly thanked her for interrupting so he didn’t have to respond to the situation. They turned the corner and saw Nancy sprawled across the pull out couch. “Why’d you get up?”</p><p>“Dr. Owens is here,” Jonathan said. </p><p>“Tell Hopper,” Nancy mumbled into her pillows as Jonathan and Sam put Sam’s stuff down up against the wall so that it was out of the way.</p><p>“That’s what I was gonna do, Nance,” Jonathan said quietly. “You know where he is?”</p><p>“Kitchen,” Nancy said. “I think he and your mom are in the kitchen. Either that or with Billy and Kali in the guest room.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Jonathan said, showing Sam to the kitchen. He knocked on the door before opening it. “Gah! Mom!” Jonathan said, covering his eyes with his hands. Hopper had Joyce pinned against the kitchen countertops, kissing feverently.</p><p>“Sorry, sorry,” Joyce said, pushing Hopper off of her. Hopper stepped back, looking at Jonathan a little sheepishly even though there was a dumb grin on his face.</p><p>“What happened to three inches?” Jonathan asked, rolling his eyes.</p><p>“Jonathan!” Joyce said, her eyes flicking toward Sam, who didn’t really know how to react to this situation either.</p><p>“Hi, Jim,” Sam said weakly, and Hopper nodded at him curtly.</p><p>“Owens,” Hopper said, “let me show you to Billy and Kali, they’re in pretty rough shape, Billy especially.”</p><p>“You look like you’re the one in rough shape,” Sam said, taking in the sight of Hopper’s bruised face and limp. “You look like hell, Chief.”</p><p>“Yeah, well,” Hopper said. “It was what it is.” Hopper pressed a kiss to Joyce’s forehead before brushing past Jonathan and Sam and out of the kitchen, expecting Sam to follow him. Sam did. He trailed behind Hopper like a lost puppy.</p><p>“You’ve got some explaining to do.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Hopper said, “and you’re gonna help me.”</p><p>“With what?” Sam asked.</p><p>“Don’t be stupid,” Hopper said. “Pull some strings, bring Billy and I back from the dead just like you did with Will, and help me adopt Billy. And Kali, if she wants me to.”</p><p>Sam’s head was spinning, “Let me take a look at the kids.”</p><p>“And you’ll help with the other shit too?” Hopper asked as he opened the door to Murray’s guest bedroom. Sam nodded in response, observing the two sleeping teenagers on the bed.</p><p>“What happened to them?” Sam whispered.</p><p>“They were experimented on,” Hopper said, “like El. Kali’s been experimented on before. She’s El’s sister or something.”</p><p>“Jesus Christ,” Sam said. “Christ, Hopper.”</p><p>“Oh, piss off,” Hopper said, rolling his eyes. “You might not have actually known that Brenner was experimenting on children, but you can’t pretend to be surprised. You don’t have the right to be surprised. I hope Brenner rots in hell.”</p><p>“He’s not,” Sam said, sighing. He didn’t know what was possessing him to tell Hopper the truth, but words were spilling out of Sam’s mouth before he could stop himself, “Brenner’s not rotting in hell, I mean. He’s not dead.”</p><p>“Brenner’s not dead?” Hopper asked, his voice dangerous. Sam was tired, he wanted all of this bullshit to be over with sooner rather than later, but he wasn’t not sure if that was possible.</p><p>“No,” Sam said, “Brenner’s not dead.” The noise that tore from Hopper’s throat was animalistic. It was the sound of anger and frustration and pain. Sam rubbed his temples as Billy and Kali jolted awake and sat up in bed, breathing heavily together.</p><p>“Hop?” Billy asked, his voice full of panic, “Hop? Are you okay?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Hopper said through gritted teeth. He took a deep breath when he realized how uneven Billy’s breathing was. “Kid, I’m fine. I promise.”</p><p>“Okay,” Billy said quietly.</p><p>“Why the fuck did you scream then, asshole?” Kali asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Sam watched as Billy curled away from Kali and flinched a little when she put a soothing hand on his shoulder before sinking into her warmth.</p><p>“Brenner’s still alive, Kali,” Hopper said.</p><p>Kali scoffed, “Don’t be an idiot, Hop. Of course he’s still alive. One can’t kill what’s already dead.”</p><p>“Kali,” Billy whispered, putting his head and his hands, “Stop it. Please.”</p><p>“Fine, Hargrove,” Kali said, her hands still on Billy’s shoulder, her eyes still narrowed at Hopper. “Dr. Owens,” she said as she pulled her focus away from Hopper and onto Sam.</p><p>“Kali,” Sam said. “How are you feeling, kid?”</p><p>“I’m not a kid,” Kali said, “and I’m feeling pretty tired.” Sam groaned inwardly; these teenagers were going to be the worst patients. He had the selfish wish for Will Byers to be in his care again.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Steve, Robin, Max, and El trudged through the snow that piled around Cherry Lane, El and Max walking a few steps ahead of Steve and Robin, their hands intertwined, Max laughing as El pulled them closer to the snow so they could kick it every so often. El was carrying her walkie talkie, and shrieked a little whenever it got too close to the snow. Robin had asked El why she wanted to bring her walkie talkie even though they weren’t going out for a long time, and El had just looked at her with wide eyes and said, completely seriously, “My friends could need help. Code red.”</p><p>“Robin?” Steve asked quietly as he watched the girls skip in front of him.</p><p>“Yeah, dingus?” Robin asked, turning toward Steve. She felt herself grinning as Steve’s hair flopped with each step he took. She liked his hair better when he didn’t slick it back with that dumbass Farrah Fawcett spray. </p><p>“Are they, uh, together?” Steve asked, his chin jutting toward Max and El. Robin watched as Max kissed El’s cheek, El immediately turning bright pink.</p><p>“I think so,” Robin said, tilting her head slightly toward the right. “I mean, El talked to me yesterday about having a crush on Max, but I’m not sure if they’re official or not.”</p><p>“They look pretty official to me,” Steve muttered. </p><p>“Do you have a problem with that?” Robin asked, confused.</p><p>“Fuck no,” Steve said. “I just can’t have Max going back home if she’s dating El.”</p><p>“She can’t be going home in general, Steve.”</p><p>“No shit, Robs,” Steve said. “But Neil is particularly homophobic and racist.”</p><p>“Seems like it,” Robin said, “Neil is a shitty human being.”</p><p>“Robin,” Steve said urgently, “He called Billy a faggot like all the time and he didn’t want Max dating Lucas because Lucas’ black. Max told me. Do you know how many times I sat outside of Max’s window at night because she couldn’t sleep and Billy was gone and Neil was still prowling around the house?”</p><p>“No,” Robin said quietly. “I don’t know how many times you’ve had to do that. Look, I know that you care about Max and that you, um, <em> cared </em> about Billy, but Max is tough, Steve. She will walkie talkie you if something else goes wrong. You can talk to her about filing a police report and everything.”</p><p>Steve hummed in agreement, nodding, not responding with words since the four of them had already arrived at Max’s house, a car that Steve recognized as Susan’s parked near the mailbox.</p><p>“Max,” Steve said, “I’m coming in with you.”</p><p>Max shook her head, “Neil hates you.”</p><p>“Neil hates everyone.”</p><p>“Steve.”</p><p>“Max.”</p><p>“You cannot come inside with me,” Max said slowly.</p><p>“Yes, I can,” Steve said, placing his hands on his hips. “El and Robin can wait outside for us and come in if anything bad happens. But I’m not letting you go inside alone. I’m not letting you get hurt again.”</p><p>“Steve, you have not won a single fight in the entire time that I’ve known you,” Max said, crossing her arms. </p><p>Robin and El shared a look and tried to stop their laughter from bubbling up their throats, but Steve heard their muffled giggles and shot them a glare.</p><p>“That’s not true,” Steve said, his eyebrows furrowing. “Yeah, Jonathan beat the shit outta me and Billy nearly killed me, but I definitely beat that Russian guard.”</p><p>“And then he had you tortured, Steve,” Max said. “Tortured, Steve, <em> tortured</em>.”</p><p>“So?” Steve said. “It’s not a big deal.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay,” Max said, nodding and rolling her eyes. “Which is totally why you can’t get a full night’s sleep without Robin with you or why you’re always awake when I ask you to help me sleep at night.”</p><p>Steve’s head tilted to the right a bit before glaring at Max, “I’m going inside with you, and that’s final. I can take another beating for you.”</p><p>“It sounds like you like being hit. No wonder you like Billy,” Max snorted, her blue eyes sharp and glinting dangerously in the pale sunlight. Steve’s chest was constricting and he had to remind himself that Max and Billy didn’t share the same biological parents; her blue eyes shouldn’t make him feel so goddman fucking <em> helpless</em>.</p><p>“Shut up,” Steve said weakly. But he knew he got his way when Max didn’t respond, only opened her front door and waited for Steve to walk inside before she did. Once they were inside of the Hargrove household, Max held up a finger to her lips, and Steve nodded, not making a sound. Together, they crept down the hallway and into Billy’s bedroom. </p><p>The smell of <em> Billy </em> struck Steve to his core as soon as Max opened the door. His room still smelled of his cologne and hairspray, the air filled with stale alcohol and old cigarettes. Steve could nearly feel Billy behind him, shirtless, pressing up against him as they practiced basketball during gym. The thing that made Steve snap out of his mind were the boxes that scattered throughout Billy’s bedroom, shirts and pants and old baseball gloves neatly packed away. <em> Neil is trying to erase Billy from history</em>, Steve thought and his insides churned with rage. Max turned toward him when Steve swallowed audibly.</p><p>“Can you stop being gay for my brother for a goddamn minute and help me find some of his shit?” Max asked, tugging on Billy’s pendant, which was still hanging around her neck.</p><p>“What happened to being quiet?” Steve snapped as Max threw him a can of Billy’s cheap cologne. He caught it easily, hating the emptiness that pooled into his stomach when he looked at it. Max trifled through one of the boxes and handed Steve Billy’s cigarette lighter, a box that contained an earring in it, and a nearly empty bottle of hairspray. Steve shoved most of the stuff in his jacket pockets, zipping them up to make sure nothing would fall out. Steve continued to look around Billy's room when something caught his eye: a sticky note was crumpled on top of Billy's night stand. From the way it was wrinkled Steve could only make out a single word, <em>asshole</em>. He thought back to the pack of smokes he gave Billy and quickly slipped the sticky note into his jean pocket. Max continued to rummage through Billy’s closet and finally found the leather jacket that Billy had worn during the Halloween party where he had beaten Steve’s keg record, and wrapped it around her body. Steve watched Max pull out Billy’s denim jacket and toss it over her shoulder.</p><p>“I’m done,” she said. </p><p>“You sure?” Steve asked, the smell of lingering cigarettes and beer still a punch to his gut. </p><p>Max nodded, “Let’s leave.”</p><p>They exited Billy’s bedroom, creeping down the hallway once again, Steve opening the front door when a voice boomed behind them: “Maxine Mayfield, just where do you think you’re going?”</p><p>Steve made sure that Max was out the door before he turned around. Neil was standing by the stairs, Susan right behind him. Neil looked angry, a nearly feral look behind his eyes while Susan looked intensely at Steve as if sending him a secret message with just her eyes.</p><p>“Mr. Hargrove,” Steve said as he grabbed Max’s wrist with his left hand, his right arm crossing his body. He looked at Robin for help, and she nodded, grabbing El’s hand. “Max will be going out with me and the rest of her friends today.”</p><p>Neil sneered at Steve, and Steve’s eyes dropped to the ground outside his house. “You must be that Harrington boy. Steve.” Neil spat his name out in disgust. “The man who hangs around little children like some kind of deranged pedophile.” Steve’s entire stomach dropped, and he didn’t know how to respond to Neil when El said, from behind Robin, “Steve is not a bad man. You are.” </p><p>“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the little dyke who I found in bed with my daughter-”</p><p>“Fuck you,” Robin said, letting go of El’s hand. “You’re a piece of shit. You don’t care about Max and you didn’t care about Billy, all you care about is yourself.” Robin stepped onto Neil’s front steps, shouldering Steve out of her way, and proceeded to walk into his house, glaring at Neil even though he had multiple inches on her. “You’re not a real father. You never have been and you never will be. It’s not weird that Steve looks out for the kids around town, but you know what is weird?” Robin asked, not caring about how the vein in Neil’s neck popped the longer she kept talking, “beating your children. That’s weird, Mr. Hargrove. Really fucking weird. Steve may be five years older than your daughter, but at least he doesn’t beat his kids.” </p><p>Steve felt such a surge of affection for Robin in that moment that he nearly pulled her into a bone crushing hug before Neil ruined the moment by slapping Robin across the face. Hard. Susan started screaming, and tossed Steve her car keys. Steve caught them as Susan held Neil back. </p><p>“Run!” Susan screamed.</p><p>Steve grabbed Robin’s wrist in his right hand, Max’s wrist still in his left hand, and ran toward Susan’s car, only letting go to unlock the car doors. Max and El piled in the backseat, Robin taking shotgun. Steve sped away, the echoes of Susan’s screams ringing in his ears.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“So,” Murray said, sitting on his kitchen table, his beer belly falling out of his shirt and over his boxers, clutching a bunch of papers in his hands. Hopper wanted to tell him to put some clothes on, but didn’t have the heart to. Owens, who sat in the chair opposite of Murray and directly next to Hopper, looked as disgusted at Murray’s appearance as Hopper himself did. Only Joyce seemed unphased, sitting next to Murray on the table, her knees knocking against his. Hopper was surprised that he didn’t feel an ugly pit of jealousy in his stomach when looking at the closeness of Joyce and Murray, but he just didn’t give a shit; Hopper was moving in with Joyce, and Murray wasn’t. He had no reason to be jealous. </p><p>“Nancy and I wrote an article that we wanted you to read before we send out,” Murray said, nodding at Owens curtly, “to make sure it’s believable.” Owen nodded in response, taking the article that Murray and Nancy had written. He read it over, seemingly not giving a shit that all eyes in the room were on him.</p><p>When Owens put the paper down, he looked at Murray and said, “It’s all very believable. I mean, bringing back the chemical leak and having evidence that the government wanted Billy and Hopper for testing is all very believable. The fire was just a coverup, just like how we covered up Barb’s death and weren’t truthful about Will’s fate. It was quite good of you guys to add the anecdote: ‘The American government is too busy convincing the public of William Hargrove and James Hopper’s deaths to deal with actual crises that America is facing, such as the Aids Epidemic’. Not everyone will agree with that, but it will make people think,” Owens noted.</p><p>“But?” Murray asked.</p><p>“There is no but,” Owens said, and Murray and Joyce shot each other confused looks.</p><p>“There has to be,” Murray said.</p><p>“There’s just no guarantee that this won’t happen again.”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Joyce asked, squinting at Owens.</p><p>“I mean,” Owens said, “While your families and Kali are safe, other people aren’t. Not while Brenner is alive. Not while foreign governments are trying to figure out the secrets of the Upside Down, as you call it, Joyce.”</p><p>“What are you suggesting?” Hopper asked.</p><p>“A revision,” Owens said, “one that not only blames our government for this mess, but the Russian government as well.”</p><p>“Well how in the hell will that be believable?” Murray asked, hysterical.</p><p>Joyce slapped his shoulder, “Will you please be quiet? The kids are trying to sleep.”</p><p>“They’re not kids,” Murray said.</p><p>“Yes,” Joyce said, “They are. And they deserve rest. Kali and Billy just went through hell, you kept Nancy up writing that article, and they all helped kill four interdimensional monsters last night! Shut up, and let them sleep.”</p><p>“Fine,” Murray relented, raising his hands in defeat.</p><p>“Just write what I tell you to write, and it will be believable,” Owens said. “That’s a promise.”</p><p>“I can smell another Rosenberg trial,” Murray said.</p><p>Joyce frowned, “That’s not a good thing, Murray.”</p><p>Hopper shrugged. He cared, but he could envision his future home with Joyce whenever he looked at her; it made his stomach fuzzy and his mouth taste faintly of nicotine. </p><p>“Can I get another cigarette?” Hopper asked, and Joyce sighed but lit one and handed it to him anyway. It tasted like home.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Friday, December 27th, 1985</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nancy wrapped Jonathan’s jacket around her tightly, and crawled out of the pullout couch, kissing Jonathan’s shoulder lightly before she left. She wandered into the kitchen, hearing voices from behind the closed door, and opening it weakly, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. </p><p>“Nancy?” Joyce asked, looking at her with her eyebrows furrowed. “It’s barely eight.”</p><p>“Couldn’t sleep,” Nancy said, her eyes flicked around the room, taking in the sight of Hopper, Owens, and Murray. Her nose wrinkled. “What’s going on?”</p><p>“We’re revising the article you wrote,” Owens said briefly. “The sooner that we give it to the <em> Chicago Sun </em>, the sooner you get to go home.”</p><p>Nancy turned toward Joyce, “How are we telling everyone that-” Nancy paused, rubbing her temples with her fingers, “- Hopper and Hargrove are alive?”</p><p>Joyce shrugged, “I um, haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”</p><p>“The diner?” Nancy asked. “We could do this at the diner.”</p><p>“Isn’t that a little bit public?” Hopper asked.</p><p>Nancy narrowed her eyes, “It’s either the diner or my mother’s house, Hopper. Take your pick.”</p><p>“What about Harrington’s place?” Hopper asked. “The kid’s parents are never around.”</p><p>Nancy felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach before she swallowed and muttered, “Let me call Steve.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Steve was driving around Hawkins aimlessly, not really sure where to go. Nobody questioned him though, the car deadly silent until El’s walkie talkie crackled in her hand.</p><p>“El?” The voice on the other line, probably Mike’s, sounded worried. “Max? It’s me and Will, do you copy?”</p><p>“We copy!” Max said, and Robin turned to face the two girls. </p><p>“Nancy called!” Will said. “It’s a code red. We need to go to Steve’s house; we already got ahold of Lucas and Erica-”</p><p>“And Dustin and Suzie!” Mike finished.</p><p>“Give me the damn walkie talkie,” Steve shouted and before he knew it, Robin was holding the walkie talkie in her hands, pressing the button.</p><p>“Hi Mike,” Steve said, “hey, Will. So let me get this clear, Nance called a code red and wants all of you shitbirds to meet at my house?”</p><p>“Yes,” Will said. He sounded a little irritated. “We said that multiple times.”</p><p>“Do you know why?” Steve asked. He hated the panic in his voice, and he hated how his shoulders relaxed when Robin placed a hand on him and rubbed small circles into his jacket with her thumb.</p><p>“No,” Mike said. “She just said that her and everyone else would meet us at your house in a few hours.”</p><p>“<em>Hours </em>?” Robin said, perplexed. “What kind of emergency is scheduled?”</p><p>“Everyone else?” Steve asked. “Who is everyone else?”</p><p>“I don’t know!” Mike said. “Just get to your place, now!”</p><p>“I thought we had a few hours,” Robin said.</p><p>“Just fucking get to Steve’s, Jesus Christ!” Mike said, anger evident in his voice, “over and out.” The walkie talkie crackled for one last time and Steve pounded his fist on the steering wheel, causing everyone to jump at the sound of the car horn.</p><p>“Fuck,” Steve said, feeling as though he was losing his mind, “Fucking fuck fuck fuck.”</p><p>“Stevie,” Robin whispered. “It’s all gonna be okay.”</p><p>“Is it though, Robin?” Steve said sharply. “Is it really gonna be okay?”</p><p>“Yes,” El said from the backseat. “Steve, you will be okay.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Max said. “Please don’t worry.”</p><p>“Too late for that,” Steve muttered. He didn’t feel like talking or listening to anyone so he turned on the radio, music blaring far too loud to be comfortable. Nobody said anything as Steve continued to drive around aimlessly.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Two hours later, the kids gathered around the television set in Steve’s living room. Suzie and Dustin were sprawled across the pullout couch; Max and El shared the armchair, and Lucas, Mike, and Will sat directly in front of the TV, Lucas pointedly not talking about how the boys had their pinky fingers interlaced. </p><p>Once Steve had put the movie Dustin had picked out - <em> Ghostbusters </em> - on, he and Robin retreated to his bedroom. The curtains were drawn and Steve hadn’t bothered to flick the lights on before Robin joined him in his bed, the room around them dark. Steve’s hand ruffled around in the space between his mattress and his headboard, and pulled out a joint. He fished Billy’s lighter from out of his pocket and popped the joint between his lips. He took a few hits before passing it to Robin.</p><p>“Steve,” Robin said as the smoke wafted through the air. “You sure this is the best idea?”</p><p>Steve shrugged, but he was already feeling dizzy and floaty and calmer than he had in ages. “I dunno.” </p><p>Robin didn’t protest as she sucked on the blunt, taking a few hits before passing it back to Steve. Suddenly, Robin burst out into laughter.</p><p>“What’s so funny?” Steve asked, his voice light and airy. His room smelled like weed and sweat and beer. His room smelled like <em> Billy Hargrove </em> and then Steve started laughing too.</p><p>“What are you laughing at?” Robin asked.</p><p>“I asked first,” Steve said, whiny and pouty and Robin poked his cheek.</p><p>“We’re getting high before Princess Wheeler’s scheduled emergency,” Robin said, gigging as Steve passed her the blunt again. They shared the rest of the joint and started smoking another one when Steve said, “I used Billy Hargrove’s lighter to light up.”</p><p>Robin burst out in laughter, “Stevie boy, he was not even that cute.”</p><p>“Shut up, Robin!” Steve said, his voice sounded fuzzy and far away in his ears. “You don’t even like boys.”</p><p>“I have eyes,” Robin said. </p><p>“So?” Steve said. “Eyes that like Tammy Thompson. How can you not find boys hot, Robin? Robin, Robin, Robin,” Steve said, giggling, “Boys are so hot with their tongues and jeans and blue camaros.”</p><p>Robin was laughing so hard that there were tears in her eyes, “Billy Hargrove looked like the type of guy to stick his dick in the exhaust pipe of his car just because.”</p><p>“Robin!” Steve said, laughing. “Robin, Billy liked his car too much to defile it.” </p><p>“Stevie, Steve, Steve!” Robin said, grinning stupidly as if an idea had just came to her, “What if… what if Billy liked his car just enough <em> to </em> defile it?”</p><p>“Billy did not have a hard-on for his camaro,” Steve said, doubling over with laughter again. His sides were starting to ache, but he felt so floaty that he didn’t care.</p><p>“That’s cuz he had a hard-on for you, dingus,” Robin said, booping Steve’s nose.</p><p>“I wish,” Steve said so wistfully that Robin started laughing again. Before they could continue their conversation, Dustin shouted up the stairs, “Steve! Robin! Can we get some help?”</p><p>“Sure thing, Dingus Jr,” Robin said as she slid off Steve's bed. They ran down the stairs tripping over each other and laughing like maniacs. </p><p>They got to the living room only to be met with Lucas, Mike, and Will.</p><p>“Where’s Dingus Jr?” Robin asked and Steve snickered. He felt all floaty and wonderful. </p><p>Will narrowed his eyes at Steve and Robin, “You smell like Jonathan.”</p><p>“Dude,” Lucas said, rolling his eyes, “you know you can just say weed.”</p><p>“Fine,” Will said, knocking elbows with Mike, “you both smell like weed.”</p><p>“That’s because we were smoking, nerd,” Steve said.</p><p>“Jesus Christ,” Mike said as Lucas stifled his own snicker. “We don’t have time for this bullshit, Steve.”</p><p>“Oh my God,” Steve said, starting to laugh, “what is it with you and Nancy and bullshit? Bullshit this, bullshit that. Everything is bullshit with you two. Watch out, Will, or you’ll become bullshit just like me.”</p><p>“Steve,” Mike said sharply, “Will’s not ever gonna be bullshit.” Will turned red and Lucas rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Yeah, Steve,” Robin said, giggling. She was swaying on her feet and smiling stupidly. “How could you think Will would become bullshit?”</p><p>“They’re in the bathroom down the hall,” Lucas said, deciding to ignore Robin’s comments. “Max is trying to pierce her ear.”</p><p>“What?” Steve asked. “Lucas, why would Max do that?”</p><p>“So she can wear Billy’s earring,” Lucas said. “Duh.”</p><p>“Hey,” Will said, “They’re a little slow right now.”</p><p>“Rude,” Steve said, booping Will on the nose. “I’ll have you know that I’m always slow.”</p><p>“Jesus fucking Christ,” Mike said, completely fed up, and Lucas laughed. </p><p>“C’mon, Stevie,” Robin said, tugging on Steve’s hand as she led Steve down the hall and to his bathroom, “Screw these nerds, Max and Dingus Jr. need reinforcement.”</p><p>~~~ </p><p>El’s nose scrunched up as soon as Robin and Steve burst into the bathroom, limbs flailing on top of one anothers; they smelled terrible. </p><p>“Skunk,” El said, from where she sat on the bathroom counter, Max easily fitting between El’s legs as she looked at herself in Steve’s mirror. </p><p>“Yeah,” Suzie said. “You both smell of skunk.” She was sitting on top of Dustin, who sat on the closed toilet, glaring at Steve. </p><p>“It’s not skunk,” Max said bluntly as she glared at Robin and Steve, a needle still halfway in her ear, “It’s fucking weed.”</p><p>“Language,” Dustin said and Suzie beamed at him. He then said, “Why are you guys smoking? You know Suzie doesn’t like it.”</p><p>“Sorry, Suzie,” Robin said, looking at the needle in Max’s ear intently.</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, “Sorry, Suzie. But I think I like being calm more than you hate weed.”</p><p>Suzie shrugged, “Fair enough, Steve.” She paused before saying, “Max is having trouble piercing her ear.”</p><p>“I can see that,” Robin murmured, still staring at the needle. She turned to Steve, “I think we should call Tammy. Tammy would know what to do, Steve.”</p><p>“Who’s Tammy?” Max asked, crossing her arms. </p><p>“Tammy,” Steve said, grinning broadly, “is Robin's uh, <em> special friend </em>.”</p><p>Robin elbowed Steve roughly in the shoulder, “Steve!” She hissed. </p><p>“What?” Steve said, leaning into Robin’s warmth, “It’s true.”</p><p>“I don’t care!” Max cried, “Just get someone to fix my fucking ear!” El ran her fingers through Max’s hair in an attempt to soothe Max some.</p><p>Dustin tilted his head and looked between Steve and Robin in that weirdly intelligent way of his, and bit his lip in thought. He opened his mouth to say something then clamped it shut again, then promptly turned his focus onto Max, “I told you this was a bad idea, Zoomer.”</p><p>“Hey Curly,” Max said through gritted teeth, turning away from the mirror to glare at Dustin, “I will end you. That’s not a threat, it’s a promise.”</p><p>Suzie patted Max’s shoulder lightly, “It’ll be okay, Max.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Max muttered as she leaned into El again. “Now can someone get Tammy?”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Nancy was frowning at the road in front of her. Dr. Owens was sitting in the backseat, Billy sitting in the passenger seat since no one wanted to argue with Billy’s want to sit shotgun. Billy was practically snarling in his seat, lips turned up in an awful sneer, blue eyes intense and glaring out the window.</p><p>“What’s going on Hargrove?” Nancy asked, sparing a glance toward Billy and off of the road. “You good?”</p><p>“Eyes on the road, Princess,” Billy said, eyes not leaving the window.</p><p>“Don’t be a shit,” Nancy said.</p><p>“I’m not being a shit. You’re being a fuckin’ prick.”</p><p>Nancy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, “Look, Hargrove, when we get to Steve’s house, let me and Dr. Owens talk to the kids first. I don’t want them to be overwhelmed.”</p><p>Billy scoffed, “Like me and Hop being back from the dead won’t be overwhelming.”</p><p>“Hargrove,” Nancy said between clenched teeth, “just do what I say. Please.”</p><p>“Whatever makes your life easy, Princess.”</p><p>“She’s right, Mr. Hargrove,” Dr. Owens said from the backseat. “I think it would be less traumatizing for everyone to be told rather that you and Jim are alive before they’re shown that you both are alive.”</p><p>“Don’t call him Jim,” Billy said, his voice dangerous.</p><p>“Billy,” Nancy said, a mixture of both warning and pleading in her voice. </p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Are you okay?”</p><p>“Why do you give a shit?”</p><p>“Because I give a shit about you, you fucking shithead.”</p><p>Billy snarled, “No need to worry about me. Take me to Harrington’s. Let me see Max.”</p><p>“So you’re nervous about seeing Steve again and you’re worried about Max’s reaction,” Nancy said. “You know you could’ve told me that like a normal person rather pout and sit in your own anger, right?”</p><p>“Wheeler?”</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“For the love of God, fuck off.” </p><p>Nancy shook her head in frustration, her sloppy curls shaking around her shoulders as Billy turned on the radio. The three of them spent the rest of the car ride in a silence that was as deafening as Billy’s music.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Tammy Thompson pulled into Steve’s driveway and let herself into his house without so much as a knock, as Robin instructed her to do. The first thing that Tammy heard when she stepped in Harrington's huge house was boys screaming over what she assumed was a movie. Tammy followed the noise into the living room, where three boys, one who she knew was Will Byers, were watching <em> Ghostbusters </em> and shouting at one another about… <em> weed </em>?</p><p>“Who are you?” The boy Tammy recognized as Nancy Wheeler’s kid brother asked when they realized she was in the room. His name was Mitchel or Matt or… Mike?</p><p>“Tammy Thompson,” Tammy said. “Robin asked me to come over to help Max pierce her ear?”</p><p>“Oh,” Will Byers said, “They’re in the bathroom, down the hallway.”</p><p>“Okay,” Tammy said, “Thanks.”</p><p>She heard a snicker as she walked down the hallway, then a loud smack and Will shouted: “Lucas!” </p><p>~~~</p><p>“Oh, I’m so glad you came!” Robin said as soon as Tammy stepped into the cramped bathroom. Robin watched as Tammy’s nose scrunched up and a look of amusement flickered across her face. </p><p>“So I take it you’re Max?” Tammy said, using her body to shove Robin and Steve away from Max, who was still sitting on the counter, El standing between her legs. </p><p>Max nodded, and pointed to the needle that was halfway through her ear.</p><p>“It got stuck,” Max deadpanned.</p><p>“I can see that,” Tammy said amicably. She focused her attention on El, “Honey, you’re going to have to move if I’m going to help your friend.”</p><p>“I stay with her,” El said, her brown eyes wide.</p><p>“You can stay with her,” Tammy said, “but you just can’t be standing where you are now.”</p><p>“It’s okay, El,” Max said. “You can go stand with Dustin and Suzie.”</p><p>“Okay,” El said, and reluctantly moved away from Max, letting Steve and Robin squeeze her shoulder as she went and stood by the toilet Dustin and Suzie were sitting on.</p><p>“Okay, Max,” Tammy said, grimacing, “this might hurt. Can I have the earring that she wants to wear, please?”</p><p>“Yeah, sure,” Dustin said, and nudged Suzie, who smiled and handed Tammy the dangly feather that Billy Hargrove used to wear. Tammy scrunched her nose at the sight of it, “You know you’re not supposed to wear dangles for like six weeks after getting your ears pierced, right?”</p><p>“I don’t care,” Max said stubbornly.</p><p>“It is an important earring,” El said.</p><p>“It’s true,” Robin said, still feeling a little loopy. “Man, I could really go for a cheeseburger right now.”</p><p>“Damn, me too. What the fuck,” Steve said. “I’m so fucking hungry.”</p><p>“Language,” El said, and Suzie and Dustin both gave her highfives. </p><p>“Okay, lets focus,” Max said, “And then you morons can get all of the cheeseburgers you want. Okay?”</p><p>“Okay!” Steve and Robin chirped, focusing their attention back on Max.<br/>Tammy placed the earring on Max’s thigh, and her brow scrunched in concentration, then she scanned the bathroom, her eyes focusing on the yellow scrunchie on El’s wrist. “Honey, can I have that?” Tammy asked, pointing at the scrunchie. El nodded and handed it to Tammy quickly. Tammy placed it behind Max’s ear, so the needle poked through it a little bit.</p><p>“This might hurt, Max,” Tammy whispered.</p><p>Max nodded. “Just do it,” she said through gritted teeth, and Tammy pulled the needle through Max’s ear and into the scrunchie. Moving quickly, she threaded the feather earring into Max’s freshly pierced ear.</p><p>“There,” Tammy said, rubbing Max’s arm soothingly, “All done.”</p><p>“How’s it look?” Max asked, looking at El.</p><p>“Bitchin’” El said, smiling slightly.</p><p>“Really?” Max asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Dustin said. “It’s really cool.”</p><p>“It’s definitely a fashion statement,” Suzie said.</p><p>Steve grinned dopily, “You look badass, Max.” And when Robin nodded in agreement, Max’s smile shone brighter than the sun. </p><p>~~~</p><p>Shortly after piercing Max’s ear, Tammy left the Harrington household to go to a late lunch with her mother, and kissed Robin’s cheek shyly before leaving. Robin and Steve retreated back to Steve’s bedroom after Tammy left, and snacked on popcorn. After a few minutes of trying (and failing) at throwing popcorn into one another’s mouths, Dustin shouted up the stairs for them: “Hey Steve and Robin? Nancy finally got here!”</p><p>Steve and Robin perked up at Dustin’s voice, and ran down the stairs, tripping over one another and laughing the whole time, and Dustin returned to the living room as soon as he saw that they were coming. If Steve wasn’t so high, he would have figured out that Dustin went back to the living room because Nancy wanted to talk to him before she talked to the kids, but Steve was high, his head was foggy, and he could not figure anything out if he tried. Nancy and Dr. Owens stood in the doorway of Steve’s house and behind Nancy was…</p><p>“Am I seeing things?” Steve said, blinking rapidly. He turned toward Robin and whispered far too loudly, “Robs, are you seeing what I’m seeing?”</p><p>“I think so, Stevie,” Robin said.</p><p>And then Steve said, “Am I dreaming or is that you, Hargrove? Cuz I think it’s you, but your hair’s all gone.” Steve turned to Robin again, “Robs,” he whispered, “I think that’s Billy Hargrove.” And Robin wheezed with laughter. </p><p>“Stevie,” Robin replied, “I think that’s Billy Hargrove too.”</p><p>“Are you high right now?” Billy asked. And it was definitely Billy because Steve would know that voice anywhere.</p><p>“You’re supposed to tell me not to cream my pants,” Steve said, bursting out into another fit of laughter.</p><p>“I cannot believe you,” Nancy hissed as she stepped inside, Dr. Owens following her, and Billy following behind him. She shut the door behind them and glared at Steve, who was still standing on the bottom step of the staircase next to Robin. “I cannot believe that you got high while watching the kids.”</p><p>“Well I needed to do something,” Steve said, his brain feeling foggy. He felt giggly and fuzzy and calm. “I needed to take my mind off of Hopper and the end of the world and you being gone. But I really had to take my mind off of hot dead boys with tongues and jeans and blue camaros.”</p><p>“Steve!” Robin laughed as Billy gaped at him, “He’s right there.”</p><p>“Oh my God,” Dr. Owens said, putting his head in his hands, “I do not get paid enough to deal with this.”</p><p>“Well I don’t get paid at all,” Nancy said, crossing her arms and glaring at Steve.</p><p>“Hey,” Steve said, nearly falling off of the last step of his stairwell and into Billy, “If you’re alive does that mean Hopper is too?”</p><p>“Oh that would be awesome!” Robin said loudly, swaying too. “That would be really awesome. Stevie, your dad could be back!” Robin gasped, “El’s dad could be back!” She gasped again, “Oh my God, Steve,” Robin said, “now that Billy’s here, we have to go get him the earring!”</p><p>“Oh my God, you’re right!” Steve exclaimed.</p><p>“What earring?” Billy asked. Steve reached into his pockets and handed Billy his cologne, hairspray, lighter, and, finally, his empty earring box, in quick succession.</p><p>“Harrington, what?” Billy said, completely confused. He put everything except the earring box on the floor, and opened it to find nothing.</p><p>“Oh,” Steve laughed, “I forgot Max was wearing it.”</p><p>“Max doesn’t have her ears pierced,” Billy said, confused.</p><p>“Yeah, she does,” Steve said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.</p><p>“Dingus!” Robin said, “I meant the other earring.”</p><p>“Oh!” Steve said, and Billy thought he was going to die if Steve looked at him with his long lashes and huge brown eyes again. </p><p>“Jesus Christ,” Nancy cut in. “Steve, Robin, Billy, Dr. Owens and I are going to talk to the kids before Hopper and everyone else comes. Please try and behave!”</p><p>“Okay, dollface,” Robin cackled, and Nancy flushed before she and Dr. Owens walked into Steve’s living room, closing the door behind them.</p><p>“Harrington,” Billy said, “where did you get all of my stuff?”</p><p>“Max gave it to me,” Steve said.</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said, “Neil’s an asshole.”</p><p>Billy’s whole body froze, “You guys are making no sense.”</p><p>“I think we’re making sense,” Steve said, giggling. “Robs, do you think we’re making sense?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Robin said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Stevie,” Robin whispered, “He’s cuter in person.”</p><p>And when Steve fell off the step and onto Billy due to his laughter, Billy Hargrove thought that maybe he could get used to this; he could get used to Harrington laughing and flushed and safe in his arms. Billy was so lovesick he felt disgusted with himself.</p><p>~~~</p><p>It was El who broke the silence. She was still sitting on Max’s lap, everyone else in stunned silence. Mike and Will were gaping at Nancy, Lucas was standing up with his jaw practically on his chest, and Dustin was leaning against Suzie, looking faint.</p><p>“Hop is alive?” El asked slowly.</p><p>El’s voice broke Max out of her trance, “My brother’s alive?” There was an odd lilt to her voice.</p><p>Nancy nodded and Dr. Owens did as well. Nancy was quick to say, “We wanted to tell you both earlier, I promise, but we couldn’t.”</p><p>“You lied,” El said, shaking like a leaf. Her hands clenched as she stood up.</p><p>“El-” Mike started but she was already climbing out of Max’s lap, her eyes wide and furious with betrayal.</p><p>“Friends don’t lie.” El’s breath was wavering, “Friends don’t lie, Nancy! You lied, you lied, <em> you lied </em>.” Her voice was shrill, and Mike and Max exchanged a look, Max surging forward to put a soothing hand on El’s shoulder, but El flinched away from Max’s touch. Nancy was sure that if El still had powers, the windows in Steve’s house would be shattering. </p><p>“El,” Nancy said, her voice calm, “we didn’t lie to you. We had to make sure everyone was okay and that it was safe for Hop and Billy to come home before we told you.”<br/>“Where is Hop?” El asked quietly, her eyes darting around the room.</p><p>“He’ll be here in five minutes,” Nancy said quietly. “He left a little later than us.”</p><p>“Is Billy here now?” Max asked.</p><p>“Yes,” Nancy said, “he’s on the stairwell with Steve.”</p><p>Max rolled her eyes, grabbed El’s wrist, and muttered, “Of fucking course he is” before running out of the living room, past Steve and Robin, and straight into Billy’s chest.</p><p>“Max,” Billy said, stunned. She was wrapped in his jean jacket, his feather earring dangling down her shoulder, a huge bruise on her face. “You look-”</p><p>“I fixed your camaro,” Max said, cutting off Billy and letting go of El. “Steve helped, but it’s, I, <em> Billy </em>-”</p><p>“Shut up, shitbird,” Billy said, and wrapped his arms around Max. </p><p>He looked at the girl who was a few steps behind Max, and she smiled kindy at him. He realized it was Jane very quickly, and let go of Max. </p><p>“Jane,” Billy said, looking at El with wide eyes.</p><p>“My friends call me El,” El said, and she grabbed Max’s hand, their fingers intertwining. “You should call me El, Billy. And you should take Steve to the beach.”</p><p>“Take Steve to the beach?” Billy asked.</p><p>“So that you are happy,” El said. “Because the beach and Steve make you happy.”</p><p>“El,” Billy said, blinking dumbly, “What happened to Max’s face?”</p><p>“I make you happy?” Steve asked from where he and Robin were sitting on the stairs, feeling more sober than he had felt in a long time. But his comment was ignored by everyone except Robin, whose smile was huge and sloppy across her face.</p><p>“Oh, you know how Neil is,” Max said, feeling a little nervous.</p><p>“Neil did this to you?” Billy asked, jaws clenched.</p><p>“He beat me,” Max said, her voice more firm than it had been a moment ago. She looked at her brother, her eyebrows knit together in worry. “But don’t freak out, Steve and Nancy patched me up, and then he and Robin took me and El to get some of your things.”</p><p>“Do not be scared,” El said gently, “Steve promised to take Max to the police station after this emergency.”</p><p>“The police station?” Billy blanched. “What the fuck are the police going to do?”</p><p>“Help,” El said. “That is what the police are supposed to do.”</p><p>Billy sneered, “Key word in that sentence is supposed.”</p><p>“Billy,” Max said, her tone a warning. “Don’t be an asshole.”</p><p>Billy had a flashback of Max swinging a bat full of nails right at his dick. “Jesus, Max, I wasn’t trying to be an asshole.”</p><p>“Then try harder,” Max said sternly. “It’s not all about intent, Billy. It’s about the impact of your words and actions too.”</p><p>“God, you’re such a little shit. I just rose from the dead like fuckin’ Jesus Christ himself and you still can’t help but turn every little thing I say into a lecture. I cannot fucking believe -” Billy started.</p><p>“Well,” Max cut in, “I can’t fucking believe that-”</p><p>“Hop!” El, said, dropping Max’s hand as Hopper walked through Steve’s front door, Joyce, Jonathan, and Kali behind him. “Kali!” El said, her sister’s name tumbling out of her lips even as she ran straight for Hopper, who picked her up in his arms, his nose buried in her hair, his tears leaving streaks on her forehead.</p><p>“I missed you, kiddo,” Hopper said, his voice gruff with emotion. “More than anything.”</p><p>“I missed you too, dad,” El said, and Hopper, overcome with emotion, sunk to the floor of the Harrington household, El still wrapped in his arms, the front door wide open behind him, his body not letting Joyce, Jonathan, or Kali inside the house.</p><p>“It’s okay now,” El said quietly into Hopper’s chest. “It’s okay now.” Joyce put a hand on Hopper’s shoulder, while Nancy and everyone else in the living came out. Nobody moved to touch Hopper nor El other than Joyce. They all knew that Hopper and El needed a moment as father and daughter without interruption. </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Mid July, 1986</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sand felt warm between Steve’s toes, the air was crisp, and the waves crashing against the shoreline made Steve feel more at ease than he’d felt in a long time.</p><p>“Pretty boy.” Billy’s singsong voice came from Steve’s right, he was in tight red swimsuit trunks, lounging across a towel covered in <em> Star Wars </em> logos. “Where’d your head go?”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Steve asked, picking at his own beach towel. His towel was covered in pink kittens, and Steve was pulling at their threaded whiskers, hoping that Mrs. Henderson wouldn’t be too mad that the cats on her towel no longer had all of their body parts.</p><p>“You just seem very far away all of the sudden,” Billy said.</p><p>“Oh,” Steve said. “I’m sorry, I’m just thinking about how, uh, nice the beach is, you know?” Steve was feeling very awkward. “I mean, I’ve never been to California before.”</p><p>“I know,” Billy said. He was quiet for a second before asking, almost tentatively, “Do you, you know, like it here?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Steve said, sifting sand between his fingertips. “I like it here a lot.”</p><p>Billy let out a sigh of relief which he quickly covered up with a smirk. “That’s a good thing,” He snarked. “I couldn’t be with anyone who hated Cali.”</p><p>Steve rolled his eyes before throwing some sand in Billy’s general direction.</p><p>“You are such a shit, Harrington,” Billy said, but Steve knew him well enough to know that there was no actual malice in his words. Billy was standing up, and Steve knew he was in trouble.</p><p>“Oh, you are so gonna get it, pretty boy,” Billy said as he tugged on Steve’s arm until Steve relented and stood up. Billy then picked up Steve like he was a sack of potatoes and Steve was grateful that Billy had gained most, if not all of his muscle, in the months after he had returned from the dead. </p><p>Billy was racing toward the water, and as Steve was thrown into the ocean by the boy that he loved, a Californian douchebag turned local hero, he knew that everything was going to be alright.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Nancy was sitting in the passenger seat of her car. Her and Jonathan were driving back to Hawkins from their tiny New York apartment that they had just barely managed to scrape up the money for. They had about five hours left of their journey, and Jonathan had insisted on driving the whole way, making Nancy read to him the directions.</p><p>“When should I get off the highway, Nance?” Jonathan asked.</p><p>“Not for 30 more miles, at least,” Nancy replied. She turned to face Jonathan rather than continue to look down at the map on her lap. His brown hair was flopping down into his eyes, and he was gripping the steering wheel in such a way that made the veins in his arms pop a little bit.</p><p>“What?” Jonathan asked.</p><p>“What do you mean ‘what’?” Nancy said. </p><p>Jonathan shook his head slightly, “I can feel you looking at me, you know.”</p><p>“I can’t help it,” Nancy said. She smiled rather flirtatiously even though Jonathan wasn’t looking at her. “You’re just too handsome.”</p><p>Jonathan scoffed, “You’re ridiculous.” But his voice sounded fond and full of affection. </p><p>“I hope Max’s move goes as easily as possible,” Nancy said, purposefully changing the topic of conversation. “She’s been through enough already. Her parents -” Nancy started, but struggled to get the words out. After Nancy reacquainted Max with Billy, Hopper made sure that Neil and Susan were thrown in jail for how they treated their children, leaving Max with nowhere to live. Joyce and Hopper had taken her in, but upon realizing that her and El were romantically involved, everyone decided that it would be best that the two girls did not become adopted siblings as El and Billy did. </p><p>“I’m more surprised that your parents even agreed to take her in,” Jonathan said. “Er, no offense, Nancy.”</p><p>“None taken,” Nancy said, sighing. “I was quite surprised that they wanted to adopt her as well. I’m not even sure what made them agree to do so.”</p><p>“Max is a good kid,” Jonathan said. </p><p>“Yeah,” Nancy said, smiling slightly. “I’m looking forward to having another sister. Max’s less annoying than Mike.”</p><p>“Everyone’s less annoying than Mike, Nancy, that’s a low bar,” Jonathan said, and he sounded so serious that Nancy couldn’t control her giggles if she tried.</p><p>~~~</p><p>El was tracing the walls of her bedroom with her fingertips. She had tied her hair back with the scrunchie Max had given her and was admiring the bracelet Max had gifted her for their sixth month anniversary. They both reminded her of Max, and since Max was moving out later that day, El found more comfort in those items than she usually did. She liked how the texture of the wallpaper felt underneath her fingertips and how the charms of her bracelet glinted in the light of her room, making flower-shaped shadows dance across her bedroom walls. </p><p>El whipped her head around quickly when there was a knock on her door, “Yes?” She asked tentatively, taking her fingers off the wall. </p><p>“It’s Joyce,” Joyce said. “Can I come in?”</p><p>“Yes,” El said.</p><p>Joyce opened the door and took a seat on El’s bed, “Is it alright if I sit here?” El nodded her response rather than saying anything. “You got some mail from Kali.”</p><p>“A postcard?” El said and Joyce nodded as she handed the card to El. </p><p>“Where is she now?” Joyce asked. Hopper and Joyce had offered their home to Kali after everything happened six months beforehand, but she had refused, saying that she still had a lot left to do, and didn’t want to be tied down to one household. But Kali still sent El and Hopper postcards from wherever she went and mailed Billy cheap hair products from shops she visited. </p><p>“She is in Boston,” El said. She paused before saying, “Kali is fighting monsters.”</p><p>“I see,” Joyce said, feeling a little uncomfortable. “How are you feeling, honey?” Joyce asked. “I know today’s a hard day for you.”</p><p>“Sad, I think,” El said. “I will miss Max.”</p><p>“I know,” Joyce said. “But you and Max don’t want to be sisters, so she can’t live here. She’s going to be living with Mike.”</p><p>“I liked when she lived here,” El said quietly.</p><p>“I know,” Joyce said. “But, she’s just around the corner.”</p><p>“Mhm,” El said. “She’s happy about living with Mike and Holly and Karen and Ted, so I am trying to be happy for her.”</p><p>Joyce tapped the spot on her bed to her right, motioning for El to sit down. El took a seat next to Joyce and looked at her expectantly. “It’s going to be okay, El, everything is going to be okay,” Joyce said. “I promise.”</p><p>“How do you know?” El asked, resting her head on Joyce’s shoulder. Joyce ran a hand through El’s hair, trying her best to comfort the girl she had grown to love as a daughter. “Because everything always works out okay, doesn’t it?”</p><p>“I guess you’re right,” El said. “I guess it will be fun to have two of my favorite people live in the same house.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Joyce said. “I love you, you know that, right?”</p><p>“I love you,” El said, a smile slowly forming on her face. </p><p>Joyce squeezed El’s shoulder before saying, “Why don’t you take down your tack board and tack your new postcard up?”</p><p>“Okay,” El said, leaping off her bed and pulling the pin board down from the wall space between her desk and her closet. She still had a few spots on it for new postcards, but the spaces were becoming fewer and further between. “I am going to need a new one soon,” El said as she took a tack from the board and pinned her new postcard down with it. </p><p>“Or you could start putting them on the fridge with Hop’s postcards,” Joyce said.</p><p>El shook her head furiously, “But these are my postcards!” She hopped back on her bed and said, “Will calls you ‘Mom’.”</p><p>“Yes he does,” Joyce said, a bit amused.</p><p>El nodded, “And I call Hop ‘Dad’.”</p><p>“Indeed you do,” Joyce said. “El?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Are you asking to call me ‘Mom’?”</p><p>“Yes,” El said firmly. “I think you are to me what my Mama should have been.”</p><p>“Anything you want to call me, you can,” Joyce said. “As long as it’s nothing too rude.” </p><p>“I would not ever call you something rude,” El said seriously.</p><p>“I know,” Joyce said, “I was just joking.” </p><p>“Oh, good,” El said, sighing in relief. “You’re not very funny, Mom.”</p><p>When Joyce laughed, El grinned so wide her cheeks started hurting. Joyce poked at her dimples and that only made El laugh harder.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Max, Lucas, Mike, Will, and El were all carrying boxes of Max’s stuff into what used to be Nancy Wheeler’s bedroom. The pink wallpaper had been torn down in exchange for pale blue wallpaper with multi-colored triangles and swirls all over it, and different sized boxes were strewn all across the room.</p><p>“Where’s Dustin?” Mike said as he put his box down on the floor near the closet door. The rest of the kids followed suit, and then Max flopped down across her new bed, El collapsing on top of her soon afterward. Lucas, Will, and Mike stood around Max’s bed frame in an awkward sort of semi-circle, waiting for the girls to sit up. Mike brushed some sweat off of his forehead, “God, Max, you have some heavy stuff.”</p><p>“Dustin’s with Robin and Tammy at the airport, remember?” Lucas said.</p><p>“They’re picking up Suzie,” Will said. He linked pinky fingers with Mike, and El smiled to herself as she watched Mike’s cheeks turn rosy.</p><p>“Oh yeah,” Mike said. He rolled his eyes, “The day we need him, Billy, and Steve the most, they’re all out of reach.”</p><p>“Steve and Billy are on vacation!” El chirped happily. “They’re at the beach!”</p><p>“I know,” Mike said, “I’m just saying that they would’ve been a big help today, you know? Since Max has so much stuff!”</p><p>“Hey,” Max said, pushing El off of her slightly so she could sit up and cross her arms at Mike. She narrowed her eyes at him, “Billy and Steve deserve a vacation, and if you had to move, you’d realize just how much stuff you have.” Lucas, Will, and El all exchanged glances. “Stop complaining or I won’t teach you how to skateboard.”<br/>“Hey!” El said, crossing her arms. “You were supposed to teach me how to skateboard!”</p><p>Max shot El a soft smile, “Of course I’ll teach you to skateboard.” </p><p>Mike snorted, “You two are gross.”</p><p>“We’re not gross!” El said indignantly.</p><p>“Yeah,” Max said, sticking her tongue out at Mike, who in turn flipped her off. “You and Will are gross.”</p><p>“I think they’re actually kind of cute,” Lucas said.</p><p>“Okay,” Will said flushing, “let’s just get the rest of Max’s stuff up here and head to the arcade. There’s only a few boxes left.”</p><p>El sighed, “Will is right.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Max said, standing up. She helped El to her feet, and the five of them bolted down the stairs, racing to see which one could get to Max’s last boxes the fastest.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“So,” Robin said, gripping the steering wheel of Tammy’s car tightly, “Since Dingus Senior isn’t here, do we still need to go over how to impress Suzie at the airport? I mean, I would think that you two have been together for long enough that you don’t feel the need to woo her, but honestly, you’re a weirdo, so who knows.”</p><p>“Oh Robin, be nicer to the kid,” Tammy said, placing her hand on Robin’s arm and relishing in the blush that dusted Robin’s freckles.</p><p>“Yeah, Buckley” Dustin said, fixing his baseball cap, “be nicer to me. God.”</p><p>“You know I don’t have to be driving you to the airport right now, right?” Robin asked, looking in the rearview mirror and enjoying the look of shock on Dustin’s face.</p><p>“I’m sorry!” Dustin said hurriedly.</p><p>“Hah,” Robin said, “You better be, Dingus Jr., you better be.”</p><p>“Robin!” Tammy exclaimed. “Dustin, don’t worry, Robin’s all talk.”</p><p>“Uhm, false,” Robin said, “I literally saved the world once.”</p><p>“Yeah, once,” Dustin said, rolling his eyes. “What an amateur. Try three times.”</p><p>“Haven’t Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, and Hopper saved the world four times?” Tammy asked, her head tilting slightly to the left.</p><p>“God, I love you,” Robin said as Dustin shouted, “Dammit! You’re right!”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Two days later, Hopper was standing in the doorway of Max’s new room, begrudgingly impressed by how the kids had set it up. “Looks nice in here,” He said eventually, taking in the new wallpaper, the Metallica posters Billy had given her pinned up around the room, the stacks of Wonder Woman comics on her desk, and the distinct lack of boxes strewn about. God, the things kids could do in a couple of days. </p><p>“Thanks,” Max said, looking at Hopper from where she sat on her bed, the flowers on the comforter beneath her in a distinct contrast to Billy’s heavy metal posters.</p><p>“You should come join us downstairs, Steve and Billy just got back, and Jonathan and Nancy will only be here for a few more days.” </p><p>“I don’t really wanna be around people right now, Hopper,” Max said, her fingers twitching over one of the flower petals on her blankets.</p><p>“How come?” Hopper asked. His brows furrowed and he took a deep breath, “I know Joyce and I were shocked when we found out about you and El -”</p><p>“It’s not that,” Max said, cutting Hopper off. “I know that me living with you guys was only gonna be until I got a permanent home, way before you guys found out about El and I.”</p><p>“Then what is it?” Hopper asked.</p><p>“I don’t know how to explain it,” Max said, crossing her arms and facing her body away from Hopper. </p><p>“Do you want me to get El?” Hopper said, not really sure what to do. “I’m sure she’d love to be with you, she was asking for you this morning.”</p><p>“No,” Max said, “I’m not in a good mood.”</p><p>“So?”</p><p>“So I don’t want to be in a poor mood around El.”</p><p>“Look kid,” Hopper said, “can I have a seat?”</p><p>“Sure,” Max said, nodding to the chair at her desk. Hopper took a seat there and Max looked at him expectantly. Hopper tried to think about what Joyce would do in this situation; he’d gotten better at these heart-to-hearts but Jesus Christ, when was enough going to be enough? He had one with Billy six months earlier, then Steve, who was more distraught over Hopper’s death and sudden resurrection than Hopper would have thought, and now he was going to have to have one with Max. Not to mention all of the late night conversations he’d had with Kali before she left to “finish what she started”, all of the advice he’d given to Jonathan and Will, and, of course, the words of praise he’d poured over El the first few days after their reunion. </p><p>“Just because El has had a rough past, doesn’t mean you should hide your moodiness from her,” Hopper said. “In fact, it’s not really good for your relationship with her to run away when you get emotional.”</p><p>Max sighed, refusing to look at Hopper. “I have a secret,” Max finally said.</p><p>“A secret?”</p><p>“Yes,” Max said, “a terrible one.”</p><p>Hopper’s insides churned nervously, “What kind of secret?” </p><p>“I’m afraid,” Max said. Hopper stared at Max, doing his best to make sure he was looking sympathetic rather than surprised. He’d never thought that Max Mayfield, the girl who fought monsters, both human and other-worldly, would be well and truly afraid of something. Hopper knew that was a stupid thought, Max was still a kid, of course she’d have things that she was afraid of, but he couldn’t figure out what was so terrible about her fear. In fact, it was perfectly natural, everything considered. “I’m afraid that Billy’s going to like El more than he likes me.”</p><p>“Oh,” Hopper said. He understood why her fear was so terrible. “Look, I’m gonna be honest, you should talk to El and Billy about this rather than me.”</p><p>“How come?” Max said, finally turning to face Hopper. “This makes me a terrible person.”</p><p>“No it doesn’t,” Hopper said, “it makes you human.” </p><p>“You’re the closest thing I have to a father, you know,” Max said, an awful smile twisting across her face. “My real father didn’t even want me enough to ship me back to California, and Neil was a shitstain on a piece of toilet paper.”</p><p>“Max-” Hopper’s voice broke, not really sure what was going on. </p><p>“And don’t tell me that Mr. Wheeler’s gonna be my new dad. Yeah, he might have adopted me, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t blend into the walls.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Hopper said, trying to smile. “I guess you’re right, he doesn’t have much of a say of what goes on around here.”</p><p>Max snickered, “You don’t know the half of it.”</p><p>“Max” Hopper said, his voice serious.</p><p>“Yeah?” Max asked, sounding vulnerable. </p><p>“Billy’s always gonna love you, you know that, right?” Hopper asked. </p><p>Max nodded, “Right.”</p><p>“And, Joyce loves you.”</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>“And Will and Jonathan love you.”</p><p>“Right.”</p><p>“And, well,” Hopper said, “I might not be great at showing it, but I uh, I love you too, kid. You make El happy and you’re much less annoying than Mike.”</p><p>“Tell me about it,” Max snarked, and Hopper cracked a smile. Max paused before saying, “We should be heading downstairs now, shouldn’t we?”</p><p>Hopper nodded, “Probably. Billy and Steve are waiting for you to come downstairs in order to give you all the gifts they got you.”</p><p>“Gifts?” Max asked. “I would have gone downstairs so much sooner if you mentioned that they had gifts!”</p><p>Hopper shrugged, “You needed to talk.”</p><p>“I did not,” Max said, but she was lying, and they both knew it.</p><p>“Uh huh,” Hopper said, “keep telling yourself that, you angsty teen.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Billy and Steve had gotten little gifts from California for everyone. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, as well as Joyce and Hopper, all got mugs with Californian state flags all over them, making them each chuckle. Robin got an enamel pin of a pride flag, Tammy an enamel pin of a microphone, and they thanked their friends profusely for them. Jonathan and Nancy smirked at what they were gifted: pens that had a button that, when pressed, would record whatever noises, most likely a conversation, that was happening until the button was pushed again. But where Billy and Steve really hit the mark was with the gifts they had gotten the kids.</p><p>“Wow,” Will breathed, as he showed Mike the glass dice set that he had been gifted, and Mike was looking at them, completely entranced. Mike himself was clutching what he had gotten, a proper leather bound photo album for all of the sketches Will drew for him.</p><p>“Holy!” Dustin exclaimed as he looked at the die, he himself had gotten a small bottle of cologne, which was quite strong for Dustin’s taste, but when Steve sent him a wink after Suzie mentioned how good it smelled, Dustin knew that the cologne would prove to be pretty useful. And, much to Dustin’s pleasure, Suzie herself got a small gift, a little gold bracelet that had her name on it. It was already wrapped around Suzie’s wrist, and her smile was still radiating as she looked at Will’s dice set.</p><p>“It’s beautiful, Will,” Suzie said.</p><p>“She’s right!” Lucas said, grinning, elbowing Mike and holding onto the new slingshot he had received. “Will, we’re gonna have to start campaigning regularly again just to use them.” </p><p>“Yeah,” Max agreed, “I might need to start actually playing if that’s what we’re using.” But she was more pleased with her own gifts from her Billy, her alive and breathing and <em> whole </em>other brother. She had gotten a used record player, which was too heavy for her to carry and was currently placed on the Wheeler’s kitchen table, as well as some stickers for her skateboard, and her very own metal, dagger-shaped earring. </p><p>El thought the die were extremely beautiful, but Steve had gotten her a new strap for the polaroid camera that he had gotten her six months beforehand. It was rainbow colored and wonderful, so much more wonderful than pieces of glass, and immediately upon getting it, she exchanged it for the black camera strap she was currently using. Steve and Billy had also gotten her some <em> Wonder Woman </em> comic books of her own, which she was also pleased about.</p><p>But it appeared that Erica was the most pleased with her gift: a walkie talkie. She kept cackling and saying, “You’re never gonna get rid of me now, Lucas! Thank you sailor boy, now I can nag you into living up to your ice cream for life deal!”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Later that afternoon, Max and El slipped outside about an hour before Steve was going to bring the party, along with Erica, to the arcade. They sat on the Wheeler porch, knees knocking against each other, one of Max’s skateboards placed across their laps. They were putting on the stickers Max had been gifted across the deck of her skateboard, giggling slightly whenever El’s rainbow camera strap knocked against a sticker. </p><p>“Are you okay?” El asked Max eventually, her brown eyes wide and earnest and, Max thought, breathtaking. </p><p>“I’m okay,” Max said.</p><p>“You seem upset,” El said, tracing the scar that Neil had given Max with her fingertips. She did that often, and Max had started to enjoy the feeling of El’s light touch against the scar. “You seem very upset.”</p><p>“Hopper helped me talk through it,” Max said.</p><p>El hummed, “He has been getting better at talking.”</p><p>“So have you!” Max said, proud.</p><p>El blushed, and Max loved it. “Thank you,” El said. “Can I ask what you talked about with Hopper?”</p><p>Max swallowed before taking a deep breath, “It’s just weird that you and Billy are siblings now.”</p><p>“It’s okay, Max,” El said. “I do not think that Billy is my brother. He is like Steve, only he lives with me.”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Max asked, confused.</p><p>“I mean,” El said, “I think that Will is my brother and that Lucas and Dustin are my best friends and that Mike is my family and that you are my girlfriend and that Steve and Billy are my friends.”</p><p>“And what about Jonathan?” Max said.</p><p>“He is my brother,” El said simply. “He helps me take photos.”</p><p>“And Nancy?” Max asked.</p><p>“She is my brother’s girlfriend. And my friend,” El said.</p><p>“And Robin? Tammy?” Max pressed. </p><p>El grinned, “Robin and Tammy are my role models.”</p><p>Max hummed, thinking, “What about Erica?”</p><p>“Erica is a friend!” El said, her voice fierce.</p><p>“And Suzie.”</p><p>“Max,” El said, “We started our own party with Suzie. We write letters to her all the time! We are friends.” She placed another sticker onto the deck of Max’s skateboard. “Max, what are you really worried about?”</p><p>Max brushed a piece of her red hair behind her ear, “El, please don’t get mad at me.”</p><p>“I won’t,” El said. “I promise.”</p><p>“Really?” Max asked,</p><p>El nodded, “Friends don’t lie.”</p><p>“I’m afraid,” Max whispered. “I’m afraid that Billy will like you more than he likes me. I mean, you know so much about him, he’s your adopted brother! You live with him and I don’t anymore, and he hated me for years, hurt me for years, but still, he was the only one who understood what was happening with Neil.”</p><p>El looked at Max, put down the stickers that she was holding, and Max followed suit. El took Max’s hands in hers. “Max,” El said earnestly, “Billy loves you. Even when he acted like he didn’t, he did. He loved you so much that he would let Neil hurt him if it meant that Neil would not hurt you. Max, Billy was scary and mean and he hurt you. But he is getting better, and he will not hurt you again. Billy and I understand each other because of what happened last summer, but he will always love you more than you know.”</p><p>Max wiped her eyes, blinking rapidly so she wouldn’t cry. “Are you sure?”</p><p>“Mhm,” El said, nodding seriously, “I’m sure.” El leaned over the skateboard and kissed Max’s cheek before wiping a tear from Max’s face. “I promise.”</p><p>Max smiled at El, though it was a bit watery. “Kiss me?”</p><p>El leaned forward, and when their lips met, Max swore that she could feel flowers blooming in her chest. When they broke apart Max said, smiling slightly, “Let’s finish putting these on so I can give you your first skateboarding lesson.”</p><p>“Is it going to hurt?” El asked.</p><p>“Skateboarding?” Max said.</p><p>“Yes,” El said. “Does skateboarding hurt?”</p><p>“Not unless you fall,” Max said.</p><p>El looked at Max, her huge brown eyes a little scared, “What happens if I fall?”</p><p>“Then I’ll be there to catch you,” Max said, squeezing El’s hand slightly. “And I’ll bandage you up and kiss all of your wounds until they get better.”</p><p>El hummed happily, “Sounds good to me.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Mike and Will were sitting on Will’s swing, catching a moment alone by leaving Dustin, Suzie, Lucas, and Erica inside the Wheeler house, pestering Steve about science questions that he didn’t understand so that Robin would have to answer for him.</p><p>“Will?” Mike asked, liking how close they were.</p><p>“Yeah?” Will said, blinking up at Mike, smiling slightly. Mike’s stomach churned with an unfamiliar heat that he tried to stuff down.</p><p>“I’m crazy about you, you know that, right?” Mike said. “I’m just so crazy about you, and I don’t know how to act around you sometimes.”</p><p>“How come?” Will said, knowing that he was flushing but didn’t know how to stop it. Will had been holding a torch for Mike for as long as he could remember, and for the past six months, something big had shifted in their friendship. They were constantly holding hands, sitting on one another’s laps, and sneaking away from their party to be alone together. But Will didn’t want to scare Mike away, so he didn’t bring it up, and cherished the small moments he had with Mike.</p><p>“Because,” Mike said, blushing furiously. <em> Will loves you. He looks at you with lovesick eyes. He talks about you with a lovesick voice </em>. “Because, because,” Mike kept stuttering. And before Mike knew it, words were tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them, “I’m so fucking in love with you, and I don’t know what to do about. And I keep wanting to just be, like, as close to you as possible, and I don’t even know if you feel the same, and-”</p><p>Will cut Mike off with a kiss. It was sweet, but not exactly chaste. “Mike,” Will said breathlessly, “I love you too.”</p><p>“Really?” Mike asked.</p><p>“Really,” Will said. “Since like, kindergarten.”</p><p>“Oh,” Mike said. “Oh, I’m so stupid.”</p><p>“That’s okay,” Will said, shrugging. “It’s okay. Part of your charm.”</p><p>Mike narrowed his eyes at Will, elbowing him softly. “That’s rude.”</p><p>“It’s true,” Will said, smiling. “You’re my stupid boyfriend.”</p><p>Mike leaned in and kissed Will again, “I like the sound of that,” Mike said once they pulled apart. He felt so happy. So free. “I really like the sound of that.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Billy and Steve were sitting in Steve’s car, parked right outside of the arcade. Billy was smoking a cigarette that Steve had lit for him, and was blowing smoke rings out the window. Steve didn't know why, but he found himself grabbing his wallet from his jean pocket and opening it. Billy was looking at him, a question in his eyes, while Steve rummaged through his wallet. When he found what he was looking for, he placed it on Billy's lap.</p><p>"Pretty boy, where'd you get this?" Billy asked, his voice gruff. Placed on his thigh was the sticky note that Steve had given him with the pack a cigarettes Steve had slipped into his locker after Billy had a particularly nasty run in with Neil the night beforehand. </p><p>"The day after Neil beat in Max's face, she forced Robin and I to take her and El to collect some of your things from Neil's house," Steve said. He didn't now why he was telling Billy all of this. "Billy, I gave you that pack of smokes. I knew about your father, and I just wanted you to know that someone saw what you were going through. We weren't friends or anything, and I didn't want you to beat my face in, so I wrote you this note-"</p><p>"Steve," Billy whispered. "You're rambling."</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>"Nothing to be sorry about," Billy said. He paused in order to blow a few more smoke rings before saying, "If I ever hurt you again, leave me. No matter if I say it's the only time it's gonna happen or whatever-"</p><p>"Billy," Steve said, "Don't even say-"</p><p>"No, Steve. Let me finish," Billy said. "I'm promising you right now that I won't ever lay another hand on you in anger. And, if, for some ungodly reason I do, I want you to turn away and never look back. I don't want to be like him, Steve. And I don't want you to be in the same place I was in for years. Promise me Steve," Billy said, urgently. "Promise me that even if I poke you in anger you'll leave."</p><p>"Billy-" Steve said.</p><p>"Promise me!"</p><p>"I promise," Steve said. "For the record, I don't think you'd ever hurt me."</p><p>Billy nodded before looking back down at the sticky note and asking, "Did you really do this for me?"</p><p>Steve nodded. </p><p>"Steve," Billy said quietly, "You saved my life."</p><p>"Don't say that Billy," Steve said, his voice just as quiet as Billy's.</p><p>Billy shrugged. He said, "It's true, Bambi. I wanted to wrap my camaro around a fuckin' tree or something but that sticky note is what kept me going for a really long time." Billy took a deep breath before saying, a little gleefully, "I knew a chick didn't write me this note!"</p><p>"Okay," Steve said, "that's a lot of things to unpack. Uh, I guess, firstly, I'm glad you're still alive. And secondly, what's that supposed to mean?"</p><p>"It means you don't have pretty handwriting, Steve," Billy said. "You do not have the handwriting of a chick."</p><p>"Oh shut up," Steve grumbled. He placed his hand over the sticky note on Billy's thigh. "Billy?"</p><p>"Yeah?" Billy said.</p><p>Steve's mind raced with a million things he wanted to say. He end up going with: "I'm really, really happy that you're still alive."</p><p>The hand Billy wasn't using to smoke with reached Steve's hand. "I'm really happy that I'm alive too." He blew some smoke at Steve's face, ruining their moment. </p><p>“Can you not do that, man?” Steve asked, waving his hand so that he didn’t inhale some of Billy’s smoke.</p><p>“Really, pretty boy?” Billy asked sarcastically. </p><p>“What?” Steve said.</p><p>Billy rolled his eyes, “Not only do you smoke, just like me, and not only did you write me cute little notes before we started going steady, but it’s like, how many times do we have to sleep together before you stop calling me ‘man’?”</p><p>“Oh, shut up,” Steve said. “You know, I uh, don’t think of you as a friend.”</p><p>“Tell me more, Bambi,” Billy grinned around his cigarette. “How do you think of me?”</p><p>“Billy,” Steve warned. </p><p>“Steve,” Billy said, eyes a little dangerous.</p><p>“The kids are right inside,” Steve said.</p><p>Billy shrugged, “So?” He asked. “Let's ditch the shitbirds and go back to your big empty place.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Steve found himself swallowing hard.</p><p>“Fine,” Steve said. “Fine. Let’s go to Family Video and tell Robin to pick the kids up after her shift.”</p><p>Billy grinned wickedly. Then, looking around the parking lot in order to make sure that nobody was paying attention, Billy pulled Steve toward him by his shirt collar, and gave him a short, searing kiss when the coast was clear. </p><p>“That’s what I thought,” Billy said.</p><p>“Oh, fuck you,” Steve said, breathless, but he was already so keyed up and there was no anger in his voice.</p><p>“Only if you’re lucky,” Billy winked, puffing a ring of smoke, like an asshole, and Steve turned the key to the ignition, hoping to god that Robin would be able to give the shitbirds a ride home from the arcade.</p><p>~~~</p><p>“Really, Steve?” Robin asked, stacking movies in the back. “You want me to get the shitbirds after work just so you can have a good time?”</p><p>“Please,” Steve said, his eyes wide. He grabbed a stack next to her and started to help sort through some movies. </p><p>“You literally just got back from California,” Robin said, unamused. She piled all the comedies to her right and frowned when Steve placed <em> The Goonies </em> with her pile of dramas. “You didn’t have a good fuck or two there?”</p><p>“Robin,” Steve said, shocked, continuing to sort through the stack he had given himself to work on. “C’mon, please. Please, I’m begging you.”</p><p>“Fine,” Robin said, rolling her eyes as she put the rest of the movies down in front of her. “But you owe me one, yeah?”</p><p>“Sure, anything,” Steve said in a rush and put down the movies he held as well.</p><p>“Thursday night, dingus,” Robin said. </p><p>“What about Thursday night?” Steve asked urgently.</p><p>Robin smirked as she said, “Tammy and I are going out on the town Thursday evening, the shitbirds are yours for the night.”</p><p>“Fine, whatever,” Steve said. “Deal.”</p><p>“Good,” Robin said, but Steve was already running away from her. “After you’re done, get Hargrove to help you pack, we’re moving in together in like three weeks.”</p><p>“You got it, you got it,” Steve said absently, already out the door, its ringing following him out, Robin shaking her head fondly after him. </p><p>“Idiot,” Robin whispered to herself, chuckling a little as she started to sort through more movies. “Fucking idiot.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>With everyone distracted by Dustin’s skills at Dragon’s Lair, Lucas thought it would be the perfect time for him to take Max aside. Though things between them were good, he still felt the urge to talk to her. </p><p>“Hey, Max,” Lucas said, poking her arm.</p><p>“Yes, Lucas?” Max said, quirking an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“Can we uh, step out for a moment?” Lucas asked. He felt nervous, but didn’t know why. Max turned to look at Dustin playing the game, Suzie on one arm, Erica on the other. Will and Mike were standing behind him, pinky fingers interlocked as they cheered him on, as El tucked herself in Mike’s arm, looking slightly confused by what was going on.</p><p>“Sure,” Max said, and she followed Lucas to the back steps of the arcade, where he sat down, and Max plopped herself down next to him.</p><p>“What’s up, Stalker?” Max asked, frowning slightly. “You okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine,” Lucas said, shrugging. “I’m just checking in with you, you know? Lots of things are changing.”</p><p>“I know,” Max said quietly.</p><p>Lucas looked at her, the person who he considered his best friend. “How are you feeling about it?”</p><p>“Eh, I’m fine, I guess,” Max said. “Karen’s a little bit overbearing and Ted. Well, he’s just underwhelming.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Lucas agreed.</p><p>“It’s cool living with Mike though,” Max said. “It’s nice having a friend around, and it’s also nice knowing that Nancy and I are sisters. She’s been good to me this whole time.”</p><p>“I know,” Lucas said, smiling a little. “Sisters can be annoying though.”</p><p>“I know,” Max said. “All Holly wants to do is watch Disney movies with me. She cried when I played her Metallica the other day.”</p><p>Lucas laughed, “It might be too loud for her. She’s pretty young after all.”</p><p>Max nodded, “Yeah, it was kinda stupid of me in retrospect.”</p><p>“Don’t be too harsh on yourself,” Lucas said. “You’ve never had a younger sister before.”</p><p>Max shrugged, “What’s new with you?”</p><p>“Nothing much,” Lucas said. “Erica’s annoying the piss outta me like usual. My parents keep reminding me to tell you that if you need anything, they’re there for you.”</p><p>“Well, thank you,” Max said a little awkwardly. “Hopefully no one else will have to take me in. You know, if all goes well.”</p><p>Lucas shook his head, “Or if you just need an adult to talk to or something. They really like you. If you wanna come over for dinner tomorrow night, they’d really appreciate it.”</p><p>Max smiled, “I’ll head over tomorrow then.”</p><p>“Good,” Lucas said. “How’re you and El?”</p><p>“We’re good,” Max said, her cheeks becoming a little rosy. “I like her a lot. You know?”</p><p>Lucas nodded, “Everyone knows.”</p><p>“Any ladies on your end?” Max said teasingly, elbowing Lucas’ arm. </p><p>“Eh, not really,” Lucas said.</p><p>“Not really?” Max asked, her eyebrows raised. </p><p>“Well,” Lucas said, “I’m still pretty hung up over the last girl I saw so that makes it kinda hard to move on.”</p><p>“I see,” Max said, her eyes downcast. “Lucas-”</p><p>“Max,” Lucas said. “It’s okay, I completely understand. I just need to move on.”</p><p>“Lucas,” Max said. “You’re my best friend, you know that, right?”</p><p>“I do,” Lucas said.</p><p>“That girl you’re hung up on,” Max said, not sure what to say, “She sounds like a bitch.”</p><p>Lucas laughed, “You could say that.”</p><p>“Hey!” Max said, slapping his arm, but she was laughing. When she sobered up, she told Lucas, “We’re really young. We probably haven’t met the person we’re going to end up with yet, so don’t worry. There’s someone out there waiting for you.”</p><p>Lucas chuckled, “I know. It’s just kinda weird to be the only single person in the group, the only like, black person in the group, and to have to hang out with Erica all the time.”</p><p>Max said, “It must be hard.”</p><p>“It is,” Lucas said. “Erica’s so annoying, and Mike can be rude about race sometimes, and, well, everyone else is so in love.”</p><p>“Well, I’ll try harder to have some days where it’s just us,” Max said. “Want me to talk to Mike?”</p><p>“Nah,” Lucas said, “He doesn’t mean it. But it’s still annoying. Suzie’s always welcome.”</p><p>Max nodded. “I’m sure Dustin will be thrilled to know you’ve given his girlfriend permission to hang out with us,” Max said dryly, and Lucas laughed.</p><p>“You’re a good friend, you know that?” Lucas said, and Max grinned.</p><p>“Thank you,” Max said, standing up. She reached her hands down and Lucas grabbed them, accepting her help to pull him up. </p><p>“I’m sorry about everything that happened between us,” Max mumbled when Lucas’s feet hit the ground.</p><p>“Nothing to be sorry for,” Lucas assured her. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “It’s all good, Max.”</p><p>“You sure?” Max said. “If you need space, I’ll be glad to give you some.”</p><p>“I’m sure,” Lucas said. “Thank you though.”</p><p>“We should probably head back inside, huh, Stalker?” Max said, motioning to the door behind them. Lucas nodded in agreement: “We probably should, Zoomer.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>It was dusk when El managed to get everyone onto the Wheeler’s front lawn for a picture. The four parents sat on the porch, while Steve, Billy, Robin, Tammy, Jonathan, and Nancy sat on the porch steps. Billy’s hand was on Steve’s thigh, Tammy and Robin's fingers were interlocked, Steve’s arm wrapped around Robin, and Nancy’s arm wrapped around Jonathan’s, all of them smiling easily. El made sure that on the gravel in front of the porch steps sat Lucas and Erica, Lucas huffing and putting two fingers up behind Erica’s head, then Dustin, Suzie easily plopped on his lap, followed by Mike and Will next to them, their legs and pinky fingers intertwined, and finally, Max, staring at El adoringly as El snapped the photo.</p><p>When Jonathan helped El develop the photo the next day, El knew that she had finally found a family. She felt so full of love, so complete, as she tacked her picture up next to Kali’s postcards, that she knew Joyce was right: Everything was going to be okay. Not perfect, but okay. And that was good enough for her.</p><p>~~~</p><p>A few days later, Hopper sat down on his couch. He was on the couch, in the living room of the home that he and Joyce fucking Byers bought together. Hopper couldn't believe how lucky he was whenever he thought of his home, his family, or Joyce. The living room was connected to the dining room on the left side, with the kitchen just off of that, and a hallway to the right. The hallway led to El’s room on the left, a bathroom on the right, and Will’s room at the very end. Upstairs was Joyce and Hopper’s room. There was also a guest room now that Max had moved out, and another bathroom, while the basement was entirely Billy’s space since Kali had left and Jonathan had moved out. </p><p>Hopper had never imagined that he would ever have a home like the one he and Joyce owned. He never thought he’d have a fucking family after Sara had died and Diane had left. But he had a home and a family. And Joyce, she smelled like cigarettes and coconut shampoo and love. And Hopper just couldn’t understand how he’d gotten so fucking lucky. </p><p>Joyce was already sitting on the couch when he sat down, munching on popcorn while watching <em> The Breakfast Club</em>. Her brown hair was tied up in a messy sort of bun, and she looked at him when he sat, taking her eyes off of the TV, and Hopper couldn’t imagine being with any other woman. </p><p>“<em>The Breakfast Club</em>?” Hopper asked, throwing a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth. </p><p>“Yeah,” Joyce said.</p><p>“Again?”</p><p>“What?” Joyce said. “It’s a good movie! Steve let me rent it for free.”</p><p>“Steve’s a good kid,” Hopper said. “I’m glad he’s with Billy.”</p><p>“Me too,” Joyce said, licking the butter off of her fingers. Hopper felt like a horny teenager, with how the heat furled in his stomach at Joyce’s innocent action. </p><p>“Jonathan and Nancy got back to New York safely,” Joyce said, smiling softly as she placed the popcorn bowl on Hopper’s lap, a gesture that meant she was done eating and that Hopper could have the rest. It made Hopper’s chest swell with emotion. “He just called a few minutes ago,” Joyce continued.</p><p>“I’m glad they got there in one piece,” Hopper said.</p><p>Joyce let out a dry laugh, “I mean, with their track record it’s nothing short of a miracle. How’s El?”</p><p>“She’s doing okay,” Hopper said, “wasn’t interested in saying anything more than ‘goodnight’ to me though. She practically pushed me out of her bedroom. I hope she’s not taking Max moving out too badly.”</p><p>“She’s a teenager,” Joyce said, shrugging a little. “They’re secretive. Don’t take it personally.”</p><p>“I’m not taking it personally!” Hopper said defensively. Joyce gave him a knowing look and he put his hands up, “I promise. Not taking it personally. Where’s Will?” Hopper said, looking around. “Usually you two are watching something together.”</p><p>“He wanted to sleep over at Mike’s tonight,” Joyce said, shrugging.</p><p>“Ugh,” Hopper said with disgust, “<em>Mike</em>.”</p><p>“At least pretend to like him. He’s a sweet boy,” Joyce said. </p><p>“I just can’t believe you’re letting them have a sleepover,” Hopper said, rolling his eyes. “I thought I’d gotten rid of him, but he’s just bounced from one of my kids to the other.”</p><p>“Well,” Joyce said, delicately, “they haven’t told us if they’re dating, and, unlike Max and El, we haven’t caught them kissing. Plus, they’ve had plenty of sleepovers and late nights before. If something was going to happen between them, it would have happened already.”</p><p>There was a beat of silence before Hopper said, “I guess you’re right.”</p><p>“Plus, we’re letting Billy sleepover at Steve’s tonight,” Joyce said. “And Jonathan and Nancy used to have sleepovers all the time.”</p><p>“That’s different,” Hopper said.</p><p>Joyce laughed, “Why?”</p><p>“They’re adults,” Hopper said. “They can make adult decisions.”</p><p>“Well,” Joyce said, shrugging, “Billy might be an adult, but we both know that he still needs nearly the same amount of care that El does. Plus, these kids have had to grow up fast. If anyone can make adult decisions at their age, it would be them. But, if I’m being honest, I don’t think any of them are doing things that call for adult decision making. I mean, Mike, Will, Max, and El are all 14. That’s still pretty young, Hop. Especially young for adult activities.”</p><p>“I know, I know,” Hopper groaned. “You’re right.”</p><p>“You need to have more faith in our kids,” Joyce said.</p><p>“You’re right,” Hopper said. “I guess I’m a little protective.”</p><p>“That’s not a bad thing,” Joyce said. “In fact, it’s a good thing. But trust is important too. It’s important to remember that just because they’re kids or teenagers, whatever you want to call them, doesn’t mean that they don’t have their own thoughts and opinions that you should take into account.”</p><p>“Joyce,” Hopper said, his voice a little gruff with emotion. He was just floored by how good she was with kids. It wasn’t anything new or surprising to him, but he appreciated it more and more every day. He was so entranced by her, so in love with her, for as long as he had known her, really. </p><p>“Yeah?” Joyce asked, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.</p><p>“I just love you,” Hopper said, taking her hand in his, not caring that they were still a little oily from the butter on the popcorn that she had been eating. “A lot. More than you’ll know. Have I ever told you that?”</p><p>“Oh, Hop,” Joyce said, smiling so wide she felt as though her cheeks hurt. “You haven’t.” Her eyes glinted mischievously, “But I wouldn’t mind you showing me.”</p><p>Joyce took the bowl of popcorn from Hopper’s lap and placed it on the coffee table. As she started to run up the stairs to their bedroom, Hopper couldn’t believe how lucky he was; he had a family, people who cared and loved him, and Joyce fucking Byers had given him the chance to make up for the years that they had lost. Hopper started up the stairs after Joyce, not caring that <em> The Breakfast Club </em> was still playing; He was eager to show her just how much he cared about her, and just how grateful he was for the life they had only just begun to build together. </p><p>
  <em> ~fin~ </em>
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